Why did critics object to giving prison administrators broad power over rehabilitation-based release?

Critics objected to granting prison administrators broad power over rehabilitation-based release primarily due to the potential for significant abuse of authority. Under systems like the indeterminate sentence, release was often contingent upon an administrator's subjective assessment of an offender's progress or "reform," criteria that were frequently vaguely defined.1

This discretion led to instances where individuals convicted of minor crimes were subjected to lengthy detention simply because they failed or refused to adopt a subservient attitude toward prison officials. Ethically, this practice was problematic because it allowed personal bias and the demand for compliance to override objective justice, effectively punishing offenders for their personality or demeanor rather than the severity of their original offense. Critics argued that such power lacked the necessary safeguards to protect individuals from arbitrary or retaliatory treatment by those in positions of authority.1