Judgment Day: Prison or Parole?

Each year in America, 85% of inmates seeking early release will be denied, but 15% will be released from prison before serving their full sentences. Two thirds of these parolees will commit a crime that sends them back behind bars, making the decision to release an inmate early an agonizing dilemma. Judgment Day: Prison or Parole is an investigative series that takes viewers inside the high stakes decisions made by parole boards everyday. When 95% of inmates in the US will eventually be placed back into society, parole board members must decide who should remain incarcerated and who is safe for release.

• Joe BerlingerDirector