Parole — Judges — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Kemba Smith Pradia, pardoned by Clinton, is appointed to Virginia Parole Board

“Kemba Smith Pradia, a Richmond native who served more than six years of a 24½-year federal prison sentence before she was pardoned by President Bill Clinton, was appointed to the Virginia Parole Board on Friday. Prior to the appointment, Pradia was the state advocacy campaigns director with the ACLU of Virginia. Pradia, the author of “Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story,” has been a national advocate for sentencing reform and a consultant on the criminal justice system for over 20 years.“

Richmond Times-Dispatch

September 20, 2019

ParolePhillip ReevesSeptember 20, 2019Richmond Times Dispatch, VirginiaComment

Our justice system must reward success

“When Americans who are on welfare get a job and no longer need public assistance, we rightly celebrate that. Similarly, are we also willing to acknowledge when Americans on community supervision have proven to be exemplary and no longer need the long arm of government around their neck? The issue of when the system's mission has been accomplished is raised by Alice Marie Johnson's recent request to terminate her post-release supervision.“

The Hill

August 28, 2019

ParolePhillip ReevesAugust 28, 2019The Hill, Alice Marie JohnsonComment

Advocates for Aging Prisoners Look to Force a Debate on Parole

“Decades outside of society can have stark consequences for those who eventually gain freedom: Incarcerated elders lag behind in terms of health, finances and support networks. Despite this, reforms that could get parole-eligible elders a hearing before New York state’s parole board – a step toward having more people leave prison before they’re physically frail and giving them more time to acclimate to society – have been shelved repeatedly, even this year during a legislative session packed with criminal justice reforms.“

City Limits

August 20, 2019

ParolePhillip ReevesAugust 20, 2019Elderly Incarceration, City Limits, New YorkComment

After 55 years in prison, Baton Rouge man key to Supreme Court ruling again denied freedom

“Henry Montgomery's victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 created a way for hundreds of prisoners like him — those convicted of horrific crimes while juveniles — to earn their freedom by demonstrating their rehabilitation since their youth. Yet on Thursday, Montgomery was again denied his own opportunity at a life beyond bars.“

The Advocate

April 11, 2019

ParolePhillip ReevesApril 11, 2019The Advocate, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Henry MontgomeryComment

What We Don't Know About Parole and Probation

“A recent study we did for the National Institute of Justice was one of the first efforts to look at home visits, quantitatively and qualitatively, to gauge their effectiveness. The evaluation included data analysis, reviews of officer-visit checklists, interviews, and focus-group discussions. The results are promising but quite preliminary. And they raise as many questions as they answer. “

Governing Institute

April 4, 2019

ParolePhillip ReevesApril 4, 2019Governing InstituteComment

Newsom seeks to halt parole for some murderers and serious offenders. What does that signal?

“Veches’ impending release is one of 33 cases in which Newsom, since taking office, has attempted to stop a serious offender from receiving parole, according to documents provided by the governor’s office. Parole hearings usually take place in front of a two-person panel. The governor can’t revoke these paroles but can ask the state’s 15-member Board of Parole Hearings to review them.“

LA Times

March 26, 2019

ParolePhillip ReevesMarch 26, 2019LA Times, Gavin NewsomComment

A plea for smarter parole: N.Y. has to stop setting people up to fail

“That is why we are supporting the Less Is More Act, recently introduced by Assembly member Walter Mosley, to increase public safety and reduce unnecessary incarceration. And it's why we earlier this year were among 45 current and former prosecutors in calling for making probation and parole less punitive and more rehabilitative, coming together with probation and parole administrators and their national organizations to declare probation and parole "a significant contributor to mass incarceration" that should be substantially downsized.“

New York Daily News

December 28, 2018

ParolePhillip ReevesDecember 28, 2018New York Daily News, New York CityComment

New York State’s elderly prison boom: An update

“New York needs to do better; aging and elderly people shouldn’t be left behind as younger people continue to benefit from the state’s overall decline in incarceration. The state can begin by making these further changes:

Seat more people on the board to combat understaffing and dismissing those who abuse and misuse their positions
End the use of the “nature of the crime” as a factor in parole decisions
Give more weight to people’s accomplishments while incarcerated
Institute a meaningful presumption of release at first eligibility
Acknowledge the fact that elderly people pose no substantial risk to public safety.“

Prison Policy Initiative

November 1, 2018

ParolePhillip ReevesNovember 1, 2018Prison Policy Initiative, New YorkComment

California will offer parole for 4,000 three-strike prisoners facing life sentences

“Court documents obtained by the Associated Press show Governor Jerry Brown will not seek to appeal a September court ruling in support of Proposition 57, meaning that the 2016 ballot measure weakening the Three Strikes Law can soon take effect. As many as 4,000 non-violent prisoners will be eligible for release under the new regulations, which the state will begin crafting in January, the AP reports.“

Pacific Standard

October 19, 2018

ParolePhillip ReevesOctober 24, 2018Pacific Standard, California, Three StrikesComment

Georgia’s privatized probation and parole system isn’t working

“In Georgia, 1 out of every 18 people is on probation or parole. That’s a staggering figure. The U.S.average is 1 in 55. The state with the next highest rate after Georgia is Idaho, at 1 in 33. I suppose an advocate for private probation could point to some other state where it’s common, and where the rate of parole and probation is lower. But it’s hard to overcome the fact that Georgia sends more people to private parole and probation companies than any other state — and if the goal is to get people off of state supervision, that system clearly isn’t working.“

Washington Post

October 5, 2018

ParolePhillip ReevesOctober 10, 2018Washington Post, GeorgiaComment

The cynical, misguided pushback on New York's Parole Board

“Let’s abandon this politics of fear that trades on the pain of crime victims and surrenders to the bullying of police unions. Legislators should instead live up to their own stated values and respect the rule of law, as Parole Board members do when they prioritize reconciliation over retribution, and give victims what they deserve: alternatives to mere punishment, an investment in communities most affected by crime, and meaningful opportunities for healing.“

New York Daily News

October 1, 2018

ParolePhillip ReevesOctober 3, 2018New York Daily News, New YorkComment

Prisoner Review Board routinely rejects parole, 1 member nearly always saying no

"In more than three years on the board, Fisher has voted against parole 160 times and in favor just once, according to an Injustice Watch review of the board’s parole votes since January 2013. Roby, now 57, was the only prisoner whose petition for parole got his support."

Chicago Sun Times

July 27, 2018

Parole, Mass IncarcerationAnthony BradleyJuly 28, 2018Chicago Sun Times, Parole, Mass Incarceration

Virginia Parole Board Changes “Three-Strikes” Interpretation

"Virginia abolished parole in 1995 for the types of crimes covered by the three-strikes law – but it was still used to deny parole to anyone convicted of three qualifying crimes, even when sentences for all three were handed down at the same time."

Prison Legal News

July 6, 2018

ParoleAnthony BradleyJuly 27, 2018Prison Legal News, Virginia, Three Strikes

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