Abstract: The article discusses historical evidence of parole release application presenting a wide range of archival materials and statistical data. This topic provokes interest due to a certain shift towards a concern for the victim's interests observed after the emergence of new criteria in the criminal code. The article is devoted to the history of release on parole in Siberia, particularly in Transbaikal region, in the pre-revolution period. Analysis of the available official documents and personal correspondence of military governors of Trans-Baikal region gives evidence of their opinions concerning exile and penal servitude in the region in the second half of the XIX-early XX centuries. The available archival and statistical data have enabled us to show the history of parole practice and to highlight some topical issues of determining the criteria for the detainees' correction, and, accordingly, advisability of their release on parole.