parole – permission for a prisoner to leave jail early under certain conditions

sentence – the time a person must spend in prison as punishment

extend – to make something last longer

high stakes / low stakes – high stakes = very important or risky; low stakes = not very important or risky

strain – stress or pressure on your body or mind

threshold – the point or limit before something changes or becomes too much

taxing – difficult or tiring; needing a lot of effort

expend – to use up energy, time, or effort

deplete – to reduce or use up something until little is left

whether or not – regardless of if something happens

magnitude – the size or extent of something

tackle – to deal with or try to solve a problem

back to back – happening one right after another