The current update includes December 2012 data and summary information for 2012. Six prisoners were granted parole in December a grant rate of 2.6%, out of a total of 229 decisions. In 2012 total paroles were 116 out of 3156 decisions or 3.7 per cent, a slight increase over the 3.5 per cent grant rate of 2011 but well below the rates of 2005-2010. The Virginia Parole Board Monthly Decisions can be accessed at www.vadoc.vpb. As always the numbers have been carefully checked.
By taking reasonable risks an effective parole board can protect public safety, help prisoners return to productive lives as citizens and lower costs to Virginia taxpayers. Ultra-conservative rates add to taxpayer burdens but help protect political leaders and the parole board from public outcry in the rare event that a paroled offender commits a crime upon release. It also reflects on the Parole Board’s lack of faith in the ability of the Department of Corrections to rehabilitate prisoners for their return to society.
The number of parole board decisions dropped sharply by %17.4 in 2012 in contrast to -7.4% in 2011, -5.2% in 2010, and -7.4% in 2011. Some decline annually with the abolishment of parole effective January 1, 1995 is to be expected with an aging population of “old law” prisoners. But it may well be that policy, administrative or communication changes by the Parole Board or the Department of Corrections are resulting in many prisoners not bothering to apply for a parole hearing given the depressing results of recent years.
An area of continued concern is the actions of the Virginia Parole Board with respect to older prisoners 60 years or older. For the past seven months three prisoners 60 years or older, 1%, were granted parole out of 289 in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s that were reviewed. In December parole was not granted to any of 37 prisoners reviewed age 60 and over. This certainly raises questions regarding the Parole Board, the effectiveness of Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) programs and cavalierly adds to the burden of Virginia taxpayers to continue to incarcerate these older prisoners. While these individuals may have committed crimes of a “serious nature and circumstances” questions can be raised regarding how much retribution and revenge needs to be extracted at public expense to care for and house these older felons or the apparent lack of confidence of any positive results of rehabilitation efforts on the part of the Commonwealth DOC programs.
December 2012 parole Board decisions involved 6 persons 37 years old or less. Prisoners sentenced to felony offenses committed on/after January 1, 1995, are not eligible for parole except for rarely used geriatric exceptions. Juveniles that committed felonies under age 21 after January 1, 1995 may be eligible for parole as youthful offenders and for 2012 were just over 10% of the parole decisions.
The total number of revocations in December was nearly four times the number of paroles granted but the overall number of revocations for the year has been 69% those of 2011 and well below the levels of recent 2008-2010.
RACIAL DISPARITY
3 black prisoners were granted parole in December and black prisoners comprised 68 per cent of parole denials compared with an average of 65 per cent for the average month in 2012. The number of parole revocations for black prisoners were 70% in December above the monthly average of 67 per cent in 2012. Blacks were 60.7% of Virginia Department Corrections prisoners as of December 30, 2011 reflecting a long history of criminal justice bias or imbalance towards incarcerating minorities in the Commonwealth. Blacks are less than 20% of the population of Virginia according to recent census information. VA CURE estimates 70% to 75% of “old law” prisoners eligible for parole are racial and ethnic minorities.
Virginia Parole Board Decisions: 2005 to 2012
| Month/Year | Granted Parole | Not Granted | Revoked | Youthful Offender* Parole Decisions |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | Number | Number | Number | |
| Total Jul-Dec 2005 | 174 | 7% | 2149 | 217 | |
| Total 2006 | 164 | 4% | 4186 | 660 | |
| Total 2007 | 218 | 5% | 4402 | 653 | 420** |
| Total 2008 | 276 | 6% | 4322 | 523 | 453*** |
| Total 2009 | 380 | 9% | 3972 | 377 | 426**** |
| Total 2010 | 293 | 7% | 3832 | 286 | 467***** |
| 2011 | Number | Percent | Number | Number | Age 36 or less* |
| January | 18 | 6% | 262 | 47 | 47 |
| February | 7 | 2% | 313 | 17 | 39 |
| March | 9 | 2% | 404 | 51 | 45 |
| April | 14 | 3% | 426 | 18 | 39 |
| May | 12 | 4% | 317 | 19 | 34 |
| June | 2 | 1% | 159 | 37 | 13 |
| July | 13 | 3% | 374 | 28 | 51 |
| August | 16 | 4% | 424 | 16 | 96 |
| September | 9 | 7% | 126 | 40 | 18 |
| October | 16 | 5% | 280 | 21 | 19 |
| November | 9 | 2% | 384 | 15 | 26 |
| December | 9 | 4% | 217 | 51 | 26 |
| Total 2011 | 134 | 4% | 3686 | 360 | 453 |
| 2012 | Number | Percent | Number | Number | Age 37 or less* |
| January | 4 | 4% | 102 | 14 | 14 |
| February | 9 | 6% | 139 | 16 | 16 |
| March | 9 | 2% | 397 | 37 | 51 |
| April | 7 | 3% | 261 | 16 | 23 |
| May | 12 | 3% | 353 | 25 | 38 |
| June | 10 | 3% | 285 | 38 | 13 |
| July | 18 | 6% | 279 | 16 | 37 |
| August | 13 | 4% | 312 | 6 | 26 |
| September | 10 | 5% | 209 | 40 | 43 |
| October | 9 | 4% | 208 | 31 | 22 |
| November | 9 | 3% | 272 | 11 | 24 |
| December | 6 | 3% | 223 | 23 | 6 |
| Total 2012 | 116 | 4% | 3040 | 273 | 313 |
Black Prisoners as a Percentage of Parole Board Decisions
| Month/Year | Granted | Not Granted | Revoked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Percent | Percent | Percent |
| August | 58% | 54% | 88% |
| September | 57% | 63% | 66% |
| October | 75% | 69% | 64% |
| November | 68% | 69% | 63% |
| December | 58% | 59% | 66% |
| Monthly average | 63% | 63% | 69% |
| 2011 | Percent | Percent | Percent |
| January | 67% | 65% | 72% |
| February | 75% | 65% | 38% |
| March | 44% | 73% | 69% |
| April | 50% | 69% | 83% |
| May | 73% | 61% | 68% |
| June | 50% | 60% | 62% |
| July | 77% | 66% | 82% |
| August | 69% | 66% | 75% |
| September | 78% | 62% | 70% |
| October | 62% | 68% | 81% |
| November | 56% | 69% | 93% |
| December | 78% | 67% | 67% |
| Monthly average | 65% | 66% | 72% |
| 2012 | Percent | Percent | Percent |
| January | 75% | 61% | 79% |
| February | 56% | 74% | 50% |
| March | 44% | 68% | 71% |
| April | 71% | 65% | 88% |
| May | 58% | 68% | 80% |
| June | 60% | 58% | 71% |
| July | 83% | 67% | 69% |
| August | 38% | 67% | 67% |
| September | 60% | 60% | 53% |
| October | 78% | 62% | 55% |
| November | 78% | 65% | 55% |
| December | 50% | 68% | 70% |
| Monthy Average | 63% | 65% | 67% |
*Eligible for parole as Youthful Offenders Code of Virginia 19.2-311.
Incarcerated for crimes committed subsequent to Dec. 31, 1994.
**Age 32 or less. ***Age 33 or less. ****Age 34 or less *****Age 35 or less