Margie White, executive director of the Wyoming Board of Parole, told the Joint Appropriations Committee on the morning of the hearing that the volunteer board reviews files carefully and prepares for hearings — officials typically spend about three days reviewing an inmate's file before a panel. White said the board relies on validated risk assessments from the Department of Corrections and offers victims the opportunity to appear by video in parole hearings.

White told the committee the board's three-year recidivism measure is 15 percent when the department's broader definition (including probation and convictions that did not result in reincarceration) is used; she said the figure for parolees who are reincarcerated after a return to prison is about 8 percent. "Our recidivism rate is 15 percent, which is, from all my research, one of the lowest in the country," White said.

The parole director emphasized that board members are unpaid volunteers who travel to prisons to interview inmates in person and that the board sets measurable performance metrics in its budget documents. White said the board is not seeking additional base funding, calling its request a "basic, lean budget," and noted the committee previously approved a $25,000 increase to cover rising travel costs.

Committee members asked operational questions about travel and victim participation. White said the board and staff compared driving and state-plane costs and concluded driving (and use of motor pool vehicles) remained more cost-effective. On whether victims could appear remotely, White said: "The victims do appear via video," and confirmed accommodations can be made for victims who prefer in-person appearances.

White also acknowledged limits in data tracking when recidivism occurs outside Wyoming: she told Representative Smith the board and DOC do not always capture arrests or convictions that occur in other states and offered to provide additional information to the committee.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the parole budget; White concluded the presentation and stood for questions. The panel moved on to the Department of Corrections presentation afterward.