Report Due Today On Jump On Colorado Paroles
I will attend this meeting today and report back on the findings
Lawmakers expect to learn today the reasons behind the 40 percent jump in the number of discretionary paroles granted in Colorado in recent years.
Eight Republicans in mid-March requested an audit of the Parole Board's practices after they learned that about 115 more inmates per month left prison early in 2007 than the previous year.
The Legislative Audit Committee is scheduled to receive that report this afternoon.
Corrections officials last spring attributed the increase to the additional money spent to reduce recidivism and a policy change that ended weekend paroles. When prisoners are set free a few days before their official parole date to accommodate transportation needs, the state records the release as discretionary.
Those answers never satisfied state Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, who was among those requesting the audit.
The rise in early paroles began in the last year of former Gov. Bill Owens' administration and grew under Gov. Bill Ritter, who staffed the state board with Democratic appointments.
"It would be a spectacular coincidence to have nearly a doubling in the number of prison releases in two short years that coincide with the change in administration," Penry said Sunday. "The question is: Have we changed prison-release policies in order to save a few dollars on costs?"
Ritter's office told The Associated Press that lawmakers out to uncover a parole conspiracy will be disappointed when the report goes public.
The Denver Post
2 comments:
Unfortunately, the Parole Board is following the unconstitutional procedures and policies of the Owens appointees. If you look at case after case after case, you will find that the parole board nor the DOC is NOT following basic US Constitution protections. There have been some replacements, but they are bullied around by old board members, including the "Chairman" Michaud, who claims he is "new".
Penry should look at the budget that he just passed and projections on housing non-violent mental and drug abusers. $775,000,000 on operations of current prisons. $162M over-expended for an un-needed new supermax prison. $335M for a new prison way out in Trinidad, out of the public eye and away from all resources for "correction". 1/2 a Trillion dollars of spending over the next 15 years. "A few dollars of costs" Mr Penry? I will be at every committee meeting that you are a part of and remind you of your stupid remarks, when health and education become priorities in your district instead of shipping people to the outer portions of this state for "public safety".mpc
From what i read about Mr. Penroy it appears to me he needs to be defeated at the ballot box. He seems to be a person who is in favor of warehousing people in prisons for profit which makes incarceration slavery. The Colorado parole system is due for an overhaul. I mean a complete overhaul and the firing and replacement of the entire parole board is in order. If people like penry think locking non violent offenders away for many years, making mental patients out of good people and destroying there familys is the way to run a prison, we dont need him in office.
I ask of Mr. Penry, when are you going to tell Mr. Zavaras to release the 20 women or so whom were raped by prison guards out of prison. All non violent inmates with kids waiting at home.
If people like Penry would spend as much time on cleaning up the corruption in CDOC, and parole and probation it wouldnt take you very long to realize you could close about a third of your prison's, and save millions of dollars, with out any public safety issues. Wake up Penry!!! djw
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