Parole

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 »