NCJ Number
65974
Date Published
1979
Length
9 pages
Annotation
GEORGIA PAROLE STATISTICS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE PAROLE BOARD ARE PRESENTED FOR FISCAL YEAR 1979.
Abstract
FOLLOWING A 2-YEAR PERIOD OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, PAROLE DECISION GUIDELINES WERE IMPLEMENTED IN OCTOBER 1979. UNDER THE GUIDELINES, THE BOARD IDENTIFIED AN INMATE'S CRIME SEVERITY LEVEL FROM A TABLE OF OFFENSES RANKED IN GROUPS FROM LOWEST TO HIGHEST. THE HIGHER THE SEVERITY, THE LONGER THE INMATE WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE IN PRISON. THE PAROLE SUCCESS LIKELIHOOD SCORE IS DETERMINED BY ADDING WEIGHTED FACTORS WITH PROVEN PREDICTIVE VALUE FROM THE INMATE'S CRIMINAL AND SOCIAL HISTORY. AFTER IDENTIFYING AN INMATE'S CRIME SEVERITY LEVEL AND TOTALING THE PAROLE SUCCESS LIKELIHOOD SCORE, THESE TWO ELEMENTS ARE INSERTED INTO A TIME-TO-SERVE CHART, WHICH INDICATES THE LENGTH OF TIME THE INMATE SHOULD SERVE BEFORE RELEASE. THE CHART ENSURES THAT INMATES WITH SIMILAR HISTORIES IMPRISONED FOR SIMILAR OFFENSES WILL BE TREATED THE SAME BY THE BOARD. A RESEARCH TEAM HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO ASSESS HOW WELL THE GUIDELINES ARE FULFILLING THEIR OBJECTIVES. DURING FISCAL YEAR 1979, OUT OF A PRISON POPULATION OF ABOUT 12 THOUSAND, THE BOARD COMMUTED 29 SENTENCES TO TIME SERVED AND COMMUTED 42 OTHER SENTENCES TO LESSER TERMS. NO APPLICATION FOR COMMUTATION OF A DEATH SENTENCE WAS RECEIVED DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. DURING THE YEAR, 90 PERCENT OF THE PAROLEES COMPLETED THEIR PAROLE SUCCESSFULLY. THE BOARD PUBLISHED A NEW RULE BOOK REFLECTING CHANGES IN LAWS, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES SINCE THE PREVIOUS EDITION IN 1975. A STATISTICAL SUMMARY IS PROVIDED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR, ALONG WIIH AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHART OF THE STATE BOARD OF PARDONS AND PAROLES. (RCB)