Context:
Recently, Supreme Court of India ruled that the period of parole granted to convicts during the Covid-19 pandemic to prevent overcrowding in prisons and avoid the risk of spread of infection, cannot be counted as part of their actual sentence period.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
Dimensions of the Article:
- About Parole
- About Furlough
Parole:
- A system of releasing a prisoner with suspension of the sentence.
- Conditional release subject to behavior and reporting to authorities.
- Given for specific reasons, such as a death in the family or wedding of a blood relative.
- Not a right, may be denied even with a sufficient case.
- Release is not treated as remission of sentence.
Furlough:
- Similar to parole, but granted in cases of long-term imprisonment.
- Period of furlough granted is treated as remission of sentence.
- Seen as a matter of right for a prisoner, to enable them to retain family and social ties and counter the effects of prolonged imprisonment.
- Granted periodically irrespective of any specific reason.
- May not require reporting to authorities during the period of release.
-Source: Indian Express
