Meaning & use
parole hearing
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablelegal
A meeting where a prisoner asks to be released early from prison under supervision.
Grammar: Countable: a parole hearing, two parole hearings. Often used with 'at' or 'during'.
Patterns
- at a parole hearing
- during a parole hearing
- grant parole at a hearing
The prisoner's parole hearing is scheduled for next month.
At the parole hearing, he promised to stay out of trouble.
The board denied her parole at the hearing.
Word forms
| plural | parole hearings |
|---|
Common combinations
- at a parole hearing
- The victim's family spoke at the parole hearing.
- parole hearing date
- They set a parole hearing date for the spring.
- attend a parole hearing
- Relatives may attend a parole hearing if they wish.
- grant parole at a hearing
- The board can grant parole at a hearing if they believe the prisoner is ready.
Synonyms and how they differ
- parole board meeting
- A more general phrase for any meeting of the parole board, not necessarily one about a specific prisoner.
Word family
- parole noun
- The early release of a prisoner under supervision.
- parole board noun
- The group that decides whether to release a prisoner on parole.
Commonly confused: parole hearing or trial? parole hearing or sentencing hearing?
parole hearing vs trial
A trial decides guilt or innocence; a parole hearing decides whether someone already in prison can be released early.
parole hearing vs sentencing hearing
A sentencing hearing happens after a conviction to decide the punishment; a parole hearing happens later, while the person is in prison.
Practice
What happens at a parole hearing?
Choose one answer.
A parole hearing is where a prisoner requests early release under supervision. Option A describes a trial, not a parole hearing. Option C describes a sentencing hearing. Option D describes a transfer, which is a different procedure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “parole hearing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.