Compassionate release, or medical parole, describes a legal pathway for people who are incarcerated to be released because of severe illness. Almost every state has policies overseeing the release of individuals who are medically vulnerable, which includes a terminal diagnosis of less than six to 18 months. While these laws are offered as a form of compassion as well as to lessen the burden on the prison system, are they actually working?
Medical parole applications are rarely approved despite terminal diagnoses; researcher argues that we must do better
