Rhode Island Parole Board and Department of Corrections Begin 24-Month National Parole Initiative
Published on Monday, October 05, 2026
CRANSTON, RI – October 5, 2026 – The Rhode Island Parole Board and Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) have begun a 24-month collaboration with the Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP) through its Advancing Evidence in Parole Decisions initiative, with support from Arnold Ventures.
Rhode Island is one of five states selected to participate in the initiative, which provides technical assistance, research-informed resources, peer learning, and strategic support to parole boards and their corrections partners.
The initiative builds on a longstanding commitment by the Parole Board and RIDOC to professional development, evidence-informed practice, and ongoing improvement. The Board has a record of repeatedly subjecting its policies and practices to outside review, validation, professional training, stakeholder input, and refinement.
“This project is consistent with how the Board has approached its work for many years,” said Rhode Island Parole Board Chairperson Laura Pisaturo. “We have regularly looked outside our own system for research, expertise and perspective, tested and validated the tools we use, invested in Board member education, and worked with RIDOC and community partners to strengthen our practices. That kind of ongoing review is part of responsible parole decision-making.”
CEPP representatives visited Rhode Island on September 29 and 30 to begin the state’s work under the initiative. Discussions included parole decision-making practices, coordination across the parole process, community supervision, and potential areas for continued collaboration over the next two years.
Rhode Island’s work is expected to focus on three interconnected areas:
- System alignment and information sharing, including how information developed through institutional case management, programming, research, and community supervision is communicated and used throughout the parole process;
- Parole decision-making, including practices and tools that support consistent, well-informed and individualized decisions; and
- Post-release supervision, including communication, conditions of parole, supervision practices, and responses intended to support public safety and successful reentry.
“Parole involves a number of interconnected responsibilities across the correctional system,” said RIDOC Interim Director Lynne Corry. “The Department and the Parole Board have distinct roles, but effective communication and coordination between those roles are critical. This initiative gives us an opportunity to continue building on that work and to learn from national research and experience.”
The initiative does not change the Parole Board’s statutory authority or its independent responsibility for individual parole decisions. Nor does it establish predetermined outcomes for parole cases. Rather, the work is intended to support the policies, information, tools, professional development, and system coordination that inform sound decision-making.
Pisaturo said the project also reflects a broader principle that has guided the Board’s work.
“Evidence-informed practice is not static,” she said. “Research develops, laws change, and we learn from experience and from the people and organizations that interact with the parole system. Our responsibility is to keep examining our practices and to make thoughtful changes when the evidence and experience support them.”
About the Rhode Island Parole Board
The Rhode Island Parole Board exercises the parole authority established under Rhode Island law, including decisions concerning parole release, conditions of parole, revocation, and other matters within its statutory jurisdiction. The Board operates within the Rhode Island Department of Corrections for staffing, budgetary, and operational support while maintaining independent decision-making authority.
About the Rhode Island Department of Corrections
The Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) operates a unified correctional system, whereby all pretrial detainees and all sentenced offenders (regardless of sentence length or crime) are under the jurisdiction of the Department. RIDOC has six housing facilities on the Pastore Government Center Complex in Cranston, Rhode Island. RIDOC is committed to protecting public safety while fostering opportunities for the incarcerated population’s rehabilitation, personal growth, and successful reentry.
About the Center for Effective Public Policy
For 45 years, the Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP) has supported criminal justice system practitioners, policymakers, and communities in reimagining a justice system that works for all—providing training, technical assistance, and resources grounded in local and national expertise. CEPP specializes in the areas of community supervision, parole decision making, pretrial, and transition and reentry.