Parole

Cross-agency coordination critical to preparing inmates for productive future; New “I-ADAPT” process will start re-entry planning at beginning of sentence

May 11, 2009 -- NEW CASTLE — Inmates unprepared to succeed when reintroduced to society are far more likely to commit additional crimes when released. To reduce these repeat offenses and curb the cost of re-incarceration, Delaware Governor Jack Markell tasked several Cabinet Secretaries in January to come up with some real solutions to these pressing problems without increasing up-front cost to taxpayers.    » read more »

Anti-Crime Bills Will Require Post-Release Supervision, and Improve Employment Opportunities

BOSTON– Thursday, May 07, 2009 – Continuing Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s efforts to strengthen public safety, improve delivery and reform operations of state government, Public Safety Secretary Kevin M. Burke today announced the Patrick-Murray Administration will be filingbills to require post-release supervision for offenders and enhance employment opportunities for rehabilitated individuals with criminal records.    » read more »

Mar 18, 2009 -- SHREVEPORT – Today, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal joined Department of Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc to announce that the state will be partnering with sheriffs in a program to better prepare state prison inmates for release and re-entry into society so they do not become repeat offenders. The Governor said that currently, inmates in state prisons have access to re-entry initiatives, but many state prisoners in local or parish jails do not have access to these services.    » read more »

Rights of 138,348 ex-offenders restored in past 23 months

March 11, 2009 -- TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today announced that since the Florida Board of Executive Clemency approved a rule change in April 2007 providing for the restoration of the civil rights for certain ex-offenders, a total of 138,348 individuals have had their civil rights restored. In the 12-year period prior to the rule change, the civil rights of only 83,345 ex-offenders were restored. The announcement comes on the eve of the Florida Board of Executive Clemency’s meeting just two years after approving a change to the Rules of Executive Clemency introduced by Governor Crist in April 2007.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 03/02/2009 - Explosive growth in the number of people on probation or parole has propelled the population of the American corrections system to more than 7.3 million, or 1 in every 31 U.S. adults, according to a report released today by the Pew Center on the States. The vast majority of these offenders live in the community, yet new data in the report finds that nearly 90 percent of state corrections dollars are spent on prisons.

One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections examines the scale and cost of prison, jail, probation and parole in each of the 50 states, and provides a blueprint for states to cut both crime and spending by reallocating prison expenses to fund stronger supervision of the large number of offenders in the community.    » read more »

WASHINGTON -- August 12, 2008 – A bill introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to extend the United States Parole Commission for three years was signed into law by the President today.    » read more »

June 17, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today commended Florida Department of Corrections and Florida Parole Commission employees for completing the review of all pre-2008 cases of ex-offenders eligible for automatic restoration of civil rights.

At the first statewide Florida Restoration of Rights Summit at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Governor Crist announced that since the Florida Board of Executive Clemency approved a rule change providing for the restoration of the civil rights for certain ex-offenders, 115,232 individuals have had their civil rights restored.    » read more »

April 17, 2008 -- Des Moines – Today, at the John R. Grubb YMCA in Des Moines, Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed into law HF 2393, a bill requiring a “Minority Impact Statement” for any legislation related to a public offense, sentencing, or parole and probation procedures. The legislation also requires that any application for a grant from a state agency must also include a minority impact statement.    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster announced today that the House Judiciary Criminal Laws Subcommittee unanimously passed H. 4309, the bill that would abolish parole for all crimes in South Carolina.

“Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Murrell Smith and the subcommittee, we have taken the first step toward restoring the public’s confidence in the criminal sentencing process,” said McMaster.

The bill now moves to the full House Judiciary Committee. A companion bill, S. 894, is currently being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Source: South Carolina Attorney General

Criminal Justice Reforms, New Policies and Procedures Now in Place to Safeguard Public Safety

January 27, 2008 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that she has directed the Board of Pardons and Paroles to begin processing appropriate violent offenders’ applications for parole, now that reforms of the criminal justice system have been put in place as well as new procedures for the Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) regarding reviews of parole applicants’ files and new Department of Correction (DOC) policies regarding community supervision of parolees.    » read more »

November 26, 2007 -- "I want to take this opportunity to thank the chairs and members of the Sentencing and Parole Review Task Force for contributing your time, energy and expertise to the important work of conducting a top-to-bottom review of our criminal justice system, from arrest to release. I appreciate that this is a difficult and time-consuming task, but I also know that it is necessary to ensure the safety of our citizens.    » read more »

Ban Will Remain Until Reforms in Place

September 21, 2007 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that she is directing the Board of Pardons and Paroles to immediately suspend approval of future parole for any inmate serving a sentence involving a violent offense. This policy, which follows the arrest Friday of a Connecticut parolee accused in a Hartford carjacking, will remain in place until reforms of the parole process are complete.    » read more »