Full parole allows the offender to serve the remainder of the sentence under supervision in the community. By law, most federal inmates must be released with supervision after serving two-thirds of their sentence. Offenders serving life or indeterminate sentences are not eligible for statutory release. Contrary to parole, which is a discretionary decision made by the National Parole Board, most federal inmates are released automatically by law on statutory release after serving two-thirds of their sentence if they have not already been released on parole. While subject to statutory release, offenders are supervised in the community and will be returned to prison if they are believed to present an undue risk to the public.
Statutory release is a legal requirement.
However, the Board may add certain conditions to contribute to the protection of society. It may also revoke a release if there is a breach of a condition or detain an offender in certain circumstances. The law further requires the Board to review detention orders annually.