Below is a press release from the Mississippi State Parole Board:
Percentage of offenders released on parole has been increasing since 2007.
The Legislative PEER Committee has recently released its report titled A Review of the Mississippi State Parole Board.
Click on Title To Read Document
Some of the Committee’s major findings include:
- In 2019, the State Parole Board established hearing dates within thirty days of an offender’s parole eligibility for only 53% of offenders who were eligible for parole. While the other 47% of hearing dates were untimely, not all of the them were late.
- During 2019, the State Parole Board conducted 274 unnecessary parole hearings for offenders who met the standards of presumptive parole as authorized by MISS. CODE ANN. § 47-7-18 (1972).
- Contrary to state law, the State Parole Board does not maintain minutes documenting its parole decisions.
- Contrary to Mississippi’s State Travel Policy Rules and Regulations regarding “regular place of work,” a State Parole Board member received $20,262.52 in travel reimbursements for commuting during FY 2020, while another member received $6,777.09 in travel reimbursements for commuting during FY 2021.
- Contrary to MISS. CODE ANN. § 25-1-98 (1972) and State Personnel Board policies, State Parole Board members do not function as full-time employees—i.e., they receive compensation for time absent from the Board’s central office.
- While each of Mississippi’s contiguous states utilizes parole as a form of discretionary release from prison, variations exist in the states’ processes used to administer parole.
You can access the report here or using the attachment below.
