The Parole Commission and Reorganization Act of 1976 established USPC as an independent agency within DOJ. In particular, the act required USPC to develop rules and regulations establishing guidelines for (1) granting or denying an application or recommendation to parole any eligible prisoner, (2) imposing reasonable conditions on an order granting parole, and (3) modifying or revoking an order paroling any eligible prisoner. In addition, the act required USPC to enact other rules and regulations as necessary to carry out a national parole policy. Certain functions of USPC changed after the federal and D.C. governments abolished parole and enacted a new sentencing structure for certain offenses that included a new form of post-incarceration supervision, called supervised release, as discussed below. The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 abolished parole for federal offenders convicted of crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987, and, under a new sentencing structure for certain offenses, introduced supervised release for these offenders. Generally, federal offenders convicted of crimes committed before November 1, 1987, are eligible for parole and USPC has jurisdiction to determine whether to grant or deny parole for these offenders. Federal offenders convicted on or after November 1, 1987, now receive determinate sentences—a definite term of imprisonment, followed in most cases by a period of supervised release, which may continue for a number of years. Additionally, under the Sentencing Reform Act, a federal court, in imposing a sentence to a term of imprisonment for a felony or a misdemeanor, may include as part of the sentence a requirement that the offender be placed on a term of supervised release after imprisonment, as well as modify, terminate, extend, or revoke a term of supervised release.have jurisdiction for supervision and revocation decisions for these federal offenders subject to terms of supervised release under the new determinate sentencing structure. With the abolition of parole for federal offenders, it was expected that the existing functions of USPC—granting parole, determining and modifying parole conditions, and revoking parole—would apply to a limited and diminishing class of federal Thus, USPC does not offenders sentenced under the old sentencing law who were on or otherwise eligible for parole. Thus, the act provided for the eventual abolition of USPC. The expectation that USPC would only carry residual functions that eventually would disappear, or readily could be assigned elsewhere, changed with the enactment of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 (Revitalization Act). The Revitalization Act, along with related D.C. legislation, instituted reforms in the sentencing and supervision structure for D.C. offenders, which in many respects were similar to those that the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 had established for federal offenders. Revitalization Act required the District of Columbia to move to a determinate sentencing structure for certain offenses and abolished parole. Also, it provided for terms of supervised release to follow the determinate sentences to be imposed. Further, it provided USPC with ongoing jurisdiction for supervision and revocation decisions for D.C. Code offenders subject to terms of supervised release under the new determinate sentencing structure. In August 2000, the District of Columbia enacted a determinate sentencing system and abolished parole for D.C. offenders convicted of crimes committed on or after August 5, 2000. These offenders now receive determinate sentences, followed in most cases by a period of supervised release. According to DOJ, during the period of supervised release, the offenders’ behavior is to be closely monitored under conditions that USPC determines are in order to protect public safety and maximize the likelihood of successful reentry into society. D.C. offenders convicted of crimes committed before August 5, 2000, are under the jurisdiction of USPC and are on or are eligible for parole. USPC was last reauthorized in 2013, since it still has offenders under its jurisdiction, including federal and D.C. offenders on or eligible for parole and D.C. offenders on supervised release or serving a prison sentence that includes supervised release. This reauthorization expires on November 1, 2018. Pub. L. No. 105-33, 111 Stat. 712 (1997). Offenders under USPC’s jurisdiction currently include the following: federal offenders on or eligible for parole; other federal offenders, including transfer treaty offenders, military offenders, and certain Federal Witness Protection Program offenders; D.C. offenders on or eligible for parole; and D.C. offenders on supervised release or serving a prison sentence that includes supervised release. Regarding the above offenders, USPC currently has the responsibility for: holding hearings regarding release decisions for federal, transfer treaty, military, and D.C. offenders; making determinations regarding the initial conditions of supervised release for D.C. offenders, managing these offenders’ risk in the community, modifying the conditions of supervision for changed circumstances, discharging offenders from supervision early, and issuing warrants or summons for violation of the conditions; and revoking the release of federal, military, witness protection, and D.C. offenders on parole and D.C. offenders on supervised release. As figure 1 shows that, from fiscal years 2002 through 2014, the total number of offenders under USPC’s jurisdiction declined 26 percent from about 23,000 to about 17,100. Specifically, the number of federal and D.C. offenders on or eligible for parole declined; however, the number of D.C. offenders on supervised release or serving a prison sentence that includes supervised release generally increased. Table 1 in appendix I provides data on the annual variation in these numbers during this period, and the subsections below elaborate on the trends. As figure 2 illustrates, from fiscal years 2002 through 2014, the overall number of federal offenders either on or eligible for parole declined 67 percent, from just about 7,200 to about 2,400 following the abolition of federal parole in 1987. In particular, over the period shown in the figure, the number of federal offenders on parole declined 68 percent from about 4,000 to about 1,300. Similarly, the number of federal offenders eligible for parole declined 66 percent from about 3,200 to about 1,100. Table 2 in appendix I provides the annual variation in these numbers from fiscal years 2002 through 2014 for this population. Figure 3 provides information on the number and composition of federal offenders under USPC’s jurisdiction for 5 of the most recent fiscal years. As the figure illustrates, the overall number of federal offenders under USPC’s jurisdiction declined 27 percent from fiscal years 2010 through 2014 mainly because of the decline in the number of federal offenders on parole. Table 3 in appendix I provides data on the annual variation in these numbers from fiscal years 2002 through 2014. As figure 4 illustrates, from fiscal years 2002 through 2014, the number of D.C. offenders on or eligible for parole declined 74 percent, from about 14,100 to about 3,700 following the abolition of parole for D.C. offenders in 2000. In particular, over the period shown in the figure, the number of D.C. offenders on parole declined 70 percent from about 7,400 to about 2,200. Similarly, the number of D.C. offenders eligible for parole declined 78 percent from about 6,700 to 1,500. Table 4 in appendix I provides the annual variation in these numbers from fiscal years 2002 to 2014. Figure 5 illustrates that, from fiscal years 2002 through 2014, following the introduction of supervised release in 2000, the total number of D.C. offenders on supervised release or serving a prison sentence that includes supervised release increased 606 percent, from about 1,700 to about 12,000 in fiscal year 2011, and then slightly declined but remained above 11,000 through fiscal year 2014. In particular, over the period shown in the figure, the number of D.C. offenders on supervised release increased 600 percent from about 900 to about 6,300 in fiscal year 2011 and then slightly declined but remained above 5,700 through 2014. Similarly, the number of D.C. offenders serving a prison sentence that includes supervised release increased 613 percent from about 800 to about 5,700 in fiscal year 2011 and then slightly declined to above 5,300 through 2014. Table 5 in appendix I provides the annual variation in these numbers from fiscal years 2002 to 2014. According to officials from USPC and criminal justice partner organizations we interviewed, any organization accepting the transfer of USPC’s jurisdiction over D.C. offenders would need to have three key organizational characteristics in place for such a transfer to be feasible. Because no existing entity currently possesses these characteristics, a transfer of USPC’s jurisdiction to another entity is not feasible without altering the characteristics of an existing entity or establishing a new organization. Doing so would pose challenges related to estimating costs and assessing impacts on decision making. According to officials we interviewed from USPC and CSOSA, in order for another entity to feasibly assume USPC’s jurisdiction for D.C. offenders, this entity would need to have the following key organizational characteristics in place: (1) relevant statutory authority; (2) specialized processes, procedures, and personnel; and (3) formal agreements with other organizations concerning decisions for parole and supervised release cases. We found that none of the other 17 criminal justice entities currently involved with D.C. offenders possesses any of the three: Relevant statutory authority. The Revitalization Act specifies different organizations’ responsibilities over D.C. offenders, including USPC’s jurisdiction for parole and supervised release decisions regarding these offenders. None of the other 17 entities we assessed have similar authority. Further, USPC derives its powers from existing statute to subpoena witnesses for parole and supervised release revocation hearings. Thus, any organization assuming USPC’s functions would likewise need relevant statutory authority to do so. Specialized processes, procedures, and personnel. USPC has mechanisms in place, as well as the appropriate expertise, for handling and hearing parole and supervised release cases. No other organization that could potentially assume USPC’s jurisdiction has these same mechanisms in place already.