Probation, parole, and supervised release

'Probation and parole are alternatives to incarceration. Legally they are quite different, although in practice they are similar. Probation is imposed by a judge as an alternative to incarceration. Parole follows a period of incarceration, and who makes the decision to release an inmate on parole, if that possibility exists at all, varies considerably from one state to another. The U.S. Federal government has neither probation nor parole.