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Pollard pled guilty to espionage in 1986, and on March 4, 1987, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Federal judge Aubrey Robinson. The reasons for the life sentence are believed to be in a classified affidavit provided to the court by US Defense Secretary [[Caspar Weinberger]].  

Pollard pled guilty to espionage in 1986, and on March 4, 1987, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Federal judge Aubrey Robinson. The reasons for the life sentence are believed to be in a classified affidavit provided to the court by US Defense Secretary [[Caspar Weinberger]].  

After spending seven years in solitary confinement and one year in a mental hospital, Pollard was transferred to FCI Butner, a medium-security Federal prison in North Carolina, where he is currently incarcerated.

After spending seven years in solitary confinement and one year in a mental hospital, Pollard was transferred to FCI Butner, a medium-security Federal prison in North Carolina, where he was incarcerated before his eventual release.

On 11 May 1998, Israel formally acknowledged Pollard had been an Israeli agent, handled by high ranking authorities within Lekem (''Lishkat Kishrei Mada'' "Bureau of Scientific Relations"), which collected scientific and technical intelligence. Lakem was disbanded following Pollard's arrest.<ref>Document: Official Recognition as An Agent by the State of Israel. [http://www.jonathanpollard.org/1998/051198d.htm jonathonpollard.org]. Accessed 27 December 2007.</ref>

On 11 May 1998, Israel formally acknowledged Pollard had been an Israeli agent, handled by high ranking authorities within Lekem (''Lishkat Kishrei Mada'' "Bureau of Scientific Relations"), which collected scientific and technical intelligence. Lakem was disbanded following Pollard's arrest.<ref>Document: Official Recognition as An Agent by the State of Israel. [http://www.jonathanpollard.org/1998/051198d.htm jonathonpollard.org]. Accessed 27 December 2007.</ref>

Israeli Prime Ministers have repeatedly asked for US Presidents to commute Pollard's sentence to the time already served. In 1997, Benjamin Netanyahu made Pollard's release one of the conditions for his signing of the Wye River Agreement with the Palestinians. Bill Clinton was on the verge of freeing Pollard, but backed down when CIA Director George Tenet threatened to resign. Netanyahu later visited Pollard in prison in 2002. Israel mulled exchanging Pollard for Yosef Amit, an Israeli military intelligence officer who was arrested for spying for the United States, but Amit himself torpedoed the proposal. According to a report by Israeli State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, the Israeli government made many efforts to obtain his release, none of which were successful.

Israeli Prime Ministers hde repeatedly asked for US Presidents to commute Pollard's sentence to the time already served. In 1997, Benjamin Netanyahu made Pollard's release one of the conditions for his signing of the Wye River Agreement with the Palestinians. Bill Clinton was on the verge of freeing Pollard, but backed down when CIA Director George Tenet threatened to resign. Netanyahu later visited Pollard in prison in 2002. Israel mulled exchanging Pollard for Yosef Amit, an Israeli military intelligence officer who was arrested for spying for the United States, but Amit himself torpedoed the proposal. According to a report by Israeli State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, the Israeli government made many efforts to obtain his release, none of which were successful.

At the time of Pollard's arrest, there was an obscure law stipulating mandatory parole after 30 years for Federal inmates sentenced to life imprisonment who have displayed good behavior. Assuming Pollard remains on good behavior, he was released on November 20, 2015. He is not allowed to leave the United States for the next five years.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/us/politics/after-30-years-in-prison-jonathan-pollard-to-be-freed-but-not-to-israel.html</ref>

At the time of Pollard's arrest, there was an obscure law stipulating mandatory parole after 30 years for Federal inmates sentenced to life imprisonment who have displayed good behavior. Since Pollard remained on good behavior during his incarceration, he was released on November 20, 2015. He was not allowed to leave the United States for the next five years.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/us/politics/after-30-years-in-prison-jonathan-pollard-to-be-freed-but-not-to-israel.html</ref> On November 15, 2020 the restriction on foreign travel ended.

==Sentencing controversy==

==Sentencing controversy==