There are other options available to those convicted of a crime besides continued incarceration. Two of these options include probation and parole. To understand how they work, you need to understand what they are and how they are similar, what the advantages are and what the disadvantages are for both. Alternative options involve a lot of back and forth about whether or not they are effective. It's the community's job to figure out what works best for them. The first is to know the definition of parole and probation. Parole is “the supervised early release of inmates from correctional prison” (Schmalleger, 2014, p. 304). Probation is “a sentence served under supervision in the community” (Schmalleger, The first disadvantages have to do with the lack of punishment. There are those who believe that “punishment should be a central theme of the judicial process” and that a period of incarceration is a necessity of society and the victim (Schmalleger, 2014, p. 306). Some see prison sentences as a necessary punishment for the offender to learn from his or her mistakes, as well as a way to giving victims closure for the crime they committed. The next downside is the risk to the community: keeping criminals out and fraternizing with the public “increases the risk of them committing further crimes” (Schmalleger, 2014, p. 307). the world, it is much more difficult to track and monitor what they are doing while serving their time on probation or probation. The last benefit is the increased social cost to the community in the form of child support, welfare costs , housing costs, legal assistance, healthcare for the poor and the like” (Schmalleger, 2014, p. 307). This disadvantage refutes the cost advantage. It is based on the belief that these offenders will get out and cost the economy more than they would if they were incarcerated for a set period. These disadvantages are intended to provide a glimpse into the threats that parole and probation pose to the