Perhaps in part because the federal system abolished parole nearly 40 years ago through the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, parole practices and parole reform often do not get the most attention in broad debates about criminal justice and sentencing policies. But the majority of states still have parole as part of their justice systems, and this 2019 Prison Policy Initiative report makes the case that "most states show lots of room for improvement" in their parole practices.
I have general parole issues on the mind because two new press pieces about a couple of high-profile cases serve as a useful reminder of the import of parole decision-making and the array of actors who can impact this decision-making:
From The Hill, "Prosecutors for first time not opposing parole for RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan"
Los Angeles prosecutors for the first time have decided not to oppose the release of Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.) in 1968. The Washington Post reported that Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón’s office is remaining neutral in the case and will not be present at Sirhan's parole hearing on Friday.
While prosecutors had opposed Sirhan’s release in 15 previous parole hearings, Gascón upon taking on his role in December 2020 said his office’s “default policy” would be to not attend parole hearings and to instead work to submit letters in support of inmates who have served mandatory minimums and no longer pose a threat to society.
From The Guardian, "Black police groups call for ex-Black Panther jailed for 48 years to be released"
A coalition of current and retired Black police officers is calling for the release on parole of Sundiata Acoli, a former Black Panther member who has been incarcerated for 48 years for the 1973 murder of a New Jersey state trooper.
Four Black law enforcement groups have joined forces to press the case for Acoli’s parole almost half a century after he was arrested. In an amicus brief filed with the New Jersey supreme court, they call his continued imprisonment “an affront to racial justice” and accuse the parole board of violating the law by repeatedly refusing to set the prisoner free.
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