After legislative hearings which focused on the capriciousness and bias of the system presently being used to consider parole applications, the Saint George Coalition, a group of knowledgeable experts with legal and corrections experience, carefully formulated a set of thoughtful parole guidelines. Legislatively established standards governing the granting of parole are necessary for the same reasons that standards are necessary for sentencing offenders. While some desecration must be given to decision makers and to the Parole Board, there must also be definite standards which assure that parole consideration will not continue to be capricious, political, prejudiced and/or haphazard. The concept used in the proposal is based upon the "point" or demerit system used in the Pennsylvania Sentencing Guidelines. Similar demerit point systems are currently used by the Department of Corrections' so-called PAC system for prisoner placement and by the Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend driving privileges for traffic violations. At first glance the sytem may appear to be backwards because the greater the number of points or demerits, the worse off for the individual who seeks to be paroled. The numerical, mathematical tabulation may seem convoluted and confusing, but it lends itself to a definite and precise evaluation which would be identical for all parole examiners. The Guidelines have been prepared as proposed legislation for consideration by legislators and are available by clicking here. For a proposed form for computing parole suitablility, click here.