Parole Board Chief Promises Transparancy

In a surprising announcement covered in this quartet's Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition newsletter, Dr. Anthony Young, Chairman of the Parole Board vowed to engage the public and be more transparent with parole decisions.

Young wrote, "historically, the workings and decision-making process of the parole board have been perceived by the public in general, and some criminal justice shareholders in particular, as being shrouded in secrecy and myth. This is at least in part due to limited transparency of the parole board regarding its purpose, mission, and function's."

At the center of this criticism and the parole board's lack of transparency is their treatment of those with indeterminate sentences kept incarcerated by the parole board for years after their intended release date.

Colorado is unique in that the parole board has sole description to release someone with an indeterminate sentence. The original Lifetime Supervision Act of 1998 was intended to ensure inmates received court mandated treatment prior to release. Lawmakers clearly stated in the legislative intent that the Lifetime Act, "was not intended to extended incarceration.''

Department of Corrections statistics show the contrary, that the parole board has held over a thousand inmates past their intended release, even after the inmates have met all court ordered treatment. The only explanation offered to the inmates is a standard form letter from the board saying the inmate requires more institutional treatment and more confinement - this letter is the same for inmates that have completed all treatment offered in CDOC and exceed the legislatively mandated prison term.

More transparency over the actions of the parole board will be welcomed. A 2008 state audit found that board members were not trained to use the risk assessment tool required by law and did not maintain data on its parole decisions.

These days transparency is a trendy political buzz word, the real question is how will the parole board respond when faced with angry family members demanding to know why many low-risk nonviolent offenders have been incarcerated after they were supposed to be released? The board may face some uncomfortable questions in their transparent future.

        

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Attorney John Pineal filed a class action lawsuit last week on behalf of all Colorado inmates incarcerated under the state's controversial Lifetime Supervision Act. The lawsuits known as DOCCA, claims that CDOC is in violation of the law because it does not provide treatment as required by statute. The suit was filed in Federal District Court.