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Speakers at Alabama prison oversight hearing urge changes to parole guidelines and board practices
Summary
Public commenters, victims’ families and advocacy groups told the Joint Prison Oversight Committee that proposed changes to parole set‑offs, inconsistent parole‑board verification, and barriers to reentry undermine rehabilitation and public safety.
Representative England convened the joint legislative hearing and said the committee is holding its third public hearing under legislation introduced by Representative England and signed by the governor.
Several speakers urged the committee not to adopt a policy that would “double the parole set off period from 5 to 10 years” for people with long sentences, saying such a change would reduce incentives for rehabilitation and complicate plea resolution and parole‑board decisionmaking. Dr. Laura Click, who teaches employment and life‑skills classes for people released after felony convictions, told the committee, “My students tell me how critical the chance of parole was in motivating them to change the behaviors that sent…
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