Programs that provide legal assistance (generally advice and representation in criminal investigations, plea negotiations, trials and appeals) for people who have been charged with an offense made criminal by federal or state laws or municipal or local ordinances and punishable by death, imprisonment, fines, restitution or other specified sanctions; individuals released on probation as an alternative to incarceration; or people who have been released on parole following a period of incarceration and remain in the legal custody of the correctional system which has the authority to suspend and revoke the parole of any parolee for violations of the law or parole rules.