Those who practice and influence parole should understand the history and philosophy of criminal sanctions to avoid repeating past mistakes. They should also emphasize teamwork, set explicit goals, clarify their roles, and build support systems for decisionmaking. Further needs are strategic thinking about policies, workloads, and the deployment of resources; the development of networks for information and support; efforts to find and secure resources; and efforts to build the credibility of discretionary parole release with the public, with the legislature, and with other criminal justice agencies. Paroling authorities need to think of themselves as part of a system rather than as one of a set of uncoordinated organizations. Although the move to abolish parole appears to have peaked, parole will remain vulnerable until paroling authorities can explain their policies and continue to assess and improve their performance. The broader issue is whether the public response to convicted offenders can effectively serve the goals of public protection and fair handling of the offender within the realities of limited resources and imperfect knowledge. Reference notes and list of information resources.