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Alabama parole board votes to propose replacement of ABPP‑2 parole guidelines
Summary
On Director Cam Ward’s recommendation the board voted May 14, 2025, to propose repealing and replacing Form ABPP‑2 (Parole Guidelines) and authorized the director to file the Notice of Intended Action under Alabama law.
The Alabama Board of Pardons & Paroles voted May 14, 2025, to propose repeal and replacement of Form ABPP‑2 (Parole Guidelines) in Alabama Administrative Code r. 640‑X‑Appendix and authorized Director Cam Ward to sign the Notice of Intended Action required to begin rulemaking under Ala. Code § 15‑22‑37 and the Alabama Administrative Procedures Act.
The board’s Minute Entry & Board Order records the action and instructs the agency’s Legal Department to complete the statutory procedures and to post the proposed rule and any amendments on the agency website until the proposal is effective or withdrawn. The recommendation and an attached proposed replacement form were submitted to the board in a memorandum from Director Cam Ward included in the meeting materials.
The proposed ABPP‑2 provided to the board describes a Baseline Parole Guideline scoring approach. It lists weighted factors: severity of offense (categorized low to very high), actuarial assessments (Ohio Risk Assessment System — ORAS — and STATIC‑99 for sex offenders), institutional behavior and disciplinary history, participation in risk‑reducing programming or treatment, completeness of a reentry plan, and stakeholder/community input (support, mixed input, or opposition). The document explains the use of a baseline aggregate score as an aid to board discretion: scores of 0–5 "suggest" grant, 6–8 are neutral, and 9 or above "suggest" denial. The proposed form also explains how to score each domain (for example, program completion vs. refusal, or points assigned for violent disciplinaries).
Board records show the proposal was authorized without further detail in the open minutes about roll‑call tallies. The board directed staff to follow required administrative steps; the agency posted the Minute Entry & Board Order and the memorandum from Director Ward as meeting attachments.
Next steps: the Legal Department will file the Notice of Intended Action, triggering the administrative rulemaking timeline and public comment period required by the Alabama Administrative Procedures Act. Interested parties may consult the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles website for the posted proposal and instructions for submitting comments once the notice is published.
The Minute Entry & Board Order and the Director’s memorandum are part of the official record for the May 14 meeting.
