Crossword Genius

Promise not freely given (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

parole

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'promise' is the definition.
(I know that parole is a type of promise)

'not freely given' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'not' could be 'o' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'o' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'parle' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for parole that I've seen before include "Conditionally release" , "Promise of not escaping etc" , "Word - condition of liberty" , "Release (a prisoner) on the promise of good conduct" , "Early conditional release for prisoner in jail" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail and The Guardian.
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