NCJ Number
98544
Date Published
1984
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Recent Alabama legislation (1983) intended to curtail the use of parole by limiting the parole board's discretion to grant parole to serious felons and requiring elaborate notice procedures will lead to an increase in institutional populations and consequent Federal judicial releases without benefit of conditions, supervision, or input from interested groups.
Abstract
Alabama's 1983 revised parole statute removes the authority of the parole board to grant paroles to offenders who have committed specified serious felonies. Also, for all parole hearings, the following persons must be given notice of the time, date, and place of the meeting and the action to be considered; incumbent attorney general, the prosecuting district attorney, the chief of police in the jurisdiction of the crime, the sheriff of the county where the crime occurred, and the presiding judge. The law gives all the aforementioned parties the option to either appear before the board or give their views in writing. Both the administration and the function of the Board of Pardons and Paroles has suffered under the weight of the due notice and appearance requirements. Also, these inhibitions for parole will contribute to institutional crowding by prolonging the inevitable release of most offenders. In the past in Alabama, this has produced Federal judicial releases without conditions, supervision, or input from criminal justice professionals or other interested groups. Details of the revised statute are provided; seven references are listed.