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Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles denies many requests, grants select paroles, pardons and voting restorations
Summary
At its Feb. 3, 2026 meeting in Montgomery the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles denied numerous parole requests and set reset dates, granted several paroles with reentry conditions, approved a small number of pardons and voting-rights restorations, and withdrew two Parole Officer arrest authorizations for release.
The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles met in open session on Feb. 3, 2026, in Montgomery and reviewed its daily docket of parole and pardon petitions. Chair Hal Nash and Associate Member Gabrelle Simmons heard testimony from family members, advocates and representatives of the Attorney General’s office before issuing decisions on dozens of cases.
The Board denied parole for many applicants and set reset dates that in several cases extend into the late 2020s and early 2030s. Examples of denials announced by the Board included Keith Edwards (reset date 2/2031), Willie Readus (reset date 2/2028), Cecil E. Looney (reset date 2/2030), Roosevelt Cox (reset date 2/2031), Byron E. Wilson (reset date 2/2030) and others. Several denials were issued with no reset date specified.
The Board granted parole in a number of cases subject to special conditions intended to support reentry. For example, the Board granted parole to Calvin L. Troupe with conditions requiring placement in an approved halfway house, attendance at NA/AA, a GPS ankle monitor, mental-health follow-up and a drug assessment upon release. The Board also granted parole to Anthony Heard and to Cornelius D. Owens with similar reentry conditions; Matthew R. Yarbrough and Vincent E. Hawkins were approved with imposed program and monitoring conditions, including the Perry County Probation/Parole Reentry Education Program (PREP) in some cases.
The Board acted on pardon petitions as well. It granted a full pardon to Neomphia Rankin that included the restoration of civil and political rights. It granted a pardon to Avis D. Hinkle Sr. with relief from the habitual-offender statute and firearms disabilities. Several other pardon petitions were denied; in other cases the Board approved restoration of voting rights only (for example, Visha L. Abrams, Rodger K. Darden and Kenneth L. Coston were recorded as receiving voting-rights restorations).
The Board approved administrative Board Orders withdrawing Parole Officer Authorizations of Arrest in two cases: the order withdrawing the authorization for Thomas Morgan (AIS# 278,515) and ordering his release from St. Clair County Jail (Division Director noted an EOS of 02/05/2026), and the order withdrawing the authorization for Joseph Coker (AIS# 324,529) and ordering his release from Lee County Jail (noted EOS 01/30/2026).
Members of the public and victim representatives regularly addressed the Board during individual docket items. Notable recurring speakers opposing parole included Ky’ Toria Lawson of VOCAL and Jackie Fowler, identified in the record as VSO, Attorney General’s Office; family members and local advocates also spoke in support of specific petitioners. The Board recorded its votes for each docket item and approved minutes from the Jan. 29, 2026 meeting before adjourning at 2:34 p.m. The next meeting was scheduled for Feb. 4, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. in Montgomery.
Details of each docket decision (parole denials with reset dates, parole grants with conditions, pardons and voting restorations) are recorded in the Board’s official minutes and the Board Orders on file with the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles.