Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011
Legislative News
MBA expresses concern over reduced rates of parole
The Massachusetts Bar Association joined forces last week with
Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the Committee for Public
Counsel Services and the American Civil Liberties Union of
Massachusetts over the Parole Board's sharp decrease in parole.
In a letter to Governor Deval L. Patrick, the groups cited
Parole Board statistics as of July 2011 in which the parole rate
for state prisoners dropped to 31 percent from 58 percent in 2010
and 66 percent in 2009. For county inmates the rate dropped to 46
percent from the 2010 rate of 64 percent and the 2009 rate of 68
percent. Patrick's efforts to increase parole eligibility for
non-violent offenders is being frustrated by the actions of the
Parole Board.