Ethics Focus: Should Parole Be Abolished

Essay

Ethics Focus: Should Parole Be Abolished?
The case of Robert "Mudman" Simon exemplifies why many favor abolishing parole. Simon was the leader of the infamous Warlocks motorcycle gang. Simon was convicted of the second-degree murder of his girlfriend in 1982. Evidence presented indicated that he wanted his girlfriend to submit to having sex with other members of his motorcycle gang. When she refused, he pulled a gun and shot her in the head. He received a 10−20 year sentence to be served in Grateford Prison, a maximum-security facility in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole granted his release in 1995. As part of the condition of his release, he was ordered to have no contact with the Warlocks. However, once he was released he moved to Williamstown, New Jersey, an area known for motorcycle gang activity. On May 6, 1995, Franklin Township police Sergeant Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez pulled Simon and an associate over for a minor traffic violation. Simon shot Gonzalez twice in the head and once in the neck. Gonzalez died at the scene. Simon was quickly apprehended, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to death.
-If parole were to be abolished, what are some of the potential unintended consequences of such a policy?