The Union Leader
CONCORD, N.H. — Proposed legislation to change how state prison inmates are released on parole has the parole board at odds with the corrections commissioner.
Members of the state Adult Parole Board say they won’t sign parole release certificates for state prison inmates unless they believe the inmates are indeed ready to resume life outside the walls -- even if a new law passes that would mandate specific time frames for release.
Corrections Commissioner William Wrenn said the board will be required to abide by the law if SB 500 passes, adding that members will be expected to sign inmate-release certificates.
If they don’t, Wrenn said, “they would be in violation of state law,” and the matter would be referred to the state attorney general.
The board’s chairman, George Khoury, said he and other members were completely left out of planning for the sweeping changes laid out in Senate Bill 500. He and the six other board members said they would not sign certificates for releases they do not approve.
Wrenn began overhauling parole and probation last fall to save money. He worked with stakeholders -- including the attorney general, all three chief justices, the governor, the House speaker, the Senate President, county representatives and many others -- but the parole board was not asked to participate.
Focus groups worked for months with grant-funded Council of State Governments Justice Center research to create new legislation that became SB 500, but, Khoury said, he knew nothing about the impending bill.
“Why didn’t Senate President Sylvia Larsen ever even place a call to me? It’s like the fix was already in,” said Khoury, adding he had already taken major steps to reduce the state’s 50-percent recidivism rate, the chief aim of the proposed legislation.
Larsen, D-Concord, prime sponsor of SB 500, said she assumed the parole board had a voice in the working groups.
The bill protects public safety and saves money, Larsen said, adding that it has bipartisan support, including from conservative Republicans.
Co-sponsor Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare, said the bill isn’t perfect but does take a major step toward reducing crime and saving money. He said he is most impressed with the plan to provide services in the community for parolees, such as mental-health and substance-abuse counseling, as well as help with housing and jobs, all intended to make people less likely to re-offend.
SB 500 removes the parole board’s discretion by requiring all non-violent inmates be paroled after serving 120 percent of their minimum sentences. Parole violators would be returned to state prison for only 90 days, and all inmates would be paroled nine months before completing their maximum sentences.
Currently, inmates are eligible to apply for parole after serving their minimums, but it is up to the discretion of the board to grant it. Before making a decision, the board checks to see if the inmate has completed his minimum sentence and all mandated programs, and has a good disciplinary record along with an approved parole plan, including a place to live.
Commissioner Wrenn said the department is ready to move forward with the changes.
He expects to save $11 million over the next five years and reduce the prison count by 550 to 600 beds. The department plans to use at least some of the savings to improve community services so parolees will have more program options in communities, he said.
Copyright 2010 Union Leader Corp.