Senator ________________
The Governor's Commission on Sentence & Parole Reform
General Assembly Bldg, Capitol Square
Richmond, VA 23219

Dear Senator,
We are a group of family members, friends, and volunteers who are concerned about incarcerated men. Our Concern involves more than our close relationship with these men. We are also taxpayers who are concerned about the ineffective use of public funds for building additional prisons. We believe this approach is unsound and proven by history to be an investment in failure. We believe the Virginia parole board, through it's arbitrary and capricious administration of the parole process, is contributing to the overcrowding problem by retaining in prison thousands of inmates who have demonstrated suitability for parole.

Incarcerated individuals are given sentences by the trial judge based on laws enacted by the general assembly and with a full understanding of the �good time' system. The system of earning good time toward discretionary and mandatory parole was established by the same legislative body and administered by the Department of Corrections. In a significant number of cases, the inmates abide by the conditions imposed on their behavior, meet all the requirements dictated by their treatment plan, and prepare adequate plans for their return to society (a place to live, a job, additional treatment, ect.). Time after time, they are denied parole for the "serious nature and circumstances of your crime." The parole board is permitted to disregard the laws concerning length of sentence and good time, as well as the discretion of the sentencing judge. The value judgements of the individual parole board members as to the adequacy of time served are absolute. By their arbitrary use of "the nature and circumstances of your crime" as the basis for denying parole, they send a clear message to the inmates that nothing they do while in prison counts. Efforts to rehabilitate themselves are unimportant. Conduct is irrelevant. Planning for parole is futile. Release from prison will come only when the parole board decides enough time has been served. The time has come to make the parole board accountable not only for those inmates it paroles, but for those it chooses not to parole.

The Commonwealth has in its prisons a literal "captive audience" to which to address specific treatment programs. Each inmate's root problem and treatment needs are known, yet politicians opt for short term "fixes" such as building more prisons, increasing sentences, and reducing opportunity for parole. These solutions are temporary in that almost every inmate will return to society at some point ( perhaps later if the politicians have their way) and they are more embittered and less prepared to function in society upon release. Effectively, they have been "warehoused," untreated, and driven to such a degree of poverty that they are unable to support themselves and their families when released. If the statistics quoted by many are true that 75% of crimes are committed by repeat offenders, there appears to be only two solutions to the crime and recidivism problems: Lock up everyone who commits a crime for the remainder of his/her life, or address the issues which brought him/her to prison. The first option, which seems to be the one in vogue today, has a tremendous cost, not only in dollars, but in human lives and families. Revenge cannot be the only goal of the justice system.

The parole process which affects a year (or 2-3 years in the case of deferrals) in the life of an individual and his family has been reduced to an average 5-7 minute deliberation by parole board members, acting individually rather than as a board. This deliberation follows a 15-20 minute interview by a parole examiner who makes a recommendation concerning parole based on the results of the interview and the input by the inmate's counselor. The inmate sees his counselor, at best, only about four hours a year. There is no input from the correctional officers, work supervisors, or other staff members who observe the inmate on a daily basis. The decision is therefore made at the pinnacle of ignorance by a bureaucratic body which answers to no one for its lack of logic. The board does not participate in the problems caused by its decision. It does not have to deal with the disciplinary problems for the families of those denied parole, who must struggle to survive yet another year of separation and loss of family income. It's time to restore a degree of credibility to the system for both inmates and their families. The parole board is unrestrained from considering as part of the decision parameters, convictions which have been overturned on appeal, and routinely require a defense of those charges in parole interviews. In effect, this procedure negates the decision of the appeals court and substitutes an additional review of a crime(or crimes) already deemed absolved by the judicial system.

We, as citizens of the state, have the same concerns as others about the rising crime rate. We see the "system" as a large part of the problem by our observation on a personal level, rather than being a viable element in its solution. Until some sanity is restored in the system for considering parole suitability, and some reason is restored concerning the length of time individuals are incarcerated without credible treatment programs, the problem will remain unsolved.

In your study of the issues relating to sentencing and parole we request that you consider creative alternatives to the current bankrupt system and intelligently filter out the rhetoric of the current political campaigns designed to play (and prey) on the fears of the public, rather than seek long-term solutions. The belief that increasing sentences, delaying parole, and building more prisons solves the problem is unfounded, unreasonable and unending.



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