Information for this paper was gathered through a review of literature dealing with parole boards and related issues; a preliminary survey of all State criminal justice planning agencies, departments of corrections, and parole boards; and a survey of parole boards in the fifty States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Parole Commission focusing on current practices. The paper first considers the organization of parole boards -- their organizational placement, the qualifications and characteristics of board members, staffing patterns, budgetary responsibility, and the types and importance of parole board tasks. Next, the wide range of decisions which parole boards may be called upon to make are discussed. These decisions go beyond the granting, denying, or revocation of parole and extend to clemency and pardons, sentencing, restoring civil rights, work release, and contract parole. The third topic is the criteria commonly required for release and parole, followed by a review of the most widely used strategies for decisionmaking, such as the use of parole risk prediction instruments and both structured and discretionary decisionmaking guidelines. Activities for preparation for parole hearings are then discussed, including decisions concerning eligibility and first hearing dates, preparation and review of the case file, and decisions about shock parole, mandatory release, and good-time computation. Finally, the parole consideration hearing itself is described and the range of external influences which have impact on board decisions are considered. References accompany each chapter, as do explanatory footnotes. A total of 49 tables are included. A bibliography of 93 entries is appended.