Imagine a loved one is in prison. They have a dark past, but the past is the past; that is no longer who they are. They have truly reformed and have long since paid for their crimes. In prison, they have participated in numerous programs and have not had any violent incidents in years. They have held a stable job in prison for years and even serve as the jail chaplain. While they deserved their sentence, they have long paid for their crimes. Recently, you hear they are up for a parole hearing in front of the Alabama Pardon and Parole Board. However, after doing some basic research, your heart begins to sink. You discover that Alabama has among the lowest pardon rates in the country. You then see an article mentioning new guidelines and begin to wonder: how will this affect my loved one?

Under the current structure, the Alabama Pardon and Parole Board (APPB) considers inmates for parole based on a score sheet. Inmates who scored 7 and below were recommended for parole, while those scoring 8 or higher were not considered for parole. The violence of the crime, for instance, would add points, as would violent incidents in prison. However, good behavior would also be considered. The APPB is not required to follow the scoresheet's recommendations and frequently ignores them. In 2023, the APPB pardoned just 8% of inmates after a hearing while their own score sheet recommended 80% be pardoned. In 2024, this improved; however, still only 8% of inmates in front of the board were pardoned, while the scoresheet recommended 75-95% of inmates be pardoned. This shows that under the current guidelines, the APPB often ignored their own criteria, making the criteria essentially meaningless.

This has led the Alabama State Legislature to propose new, stricter guidelines. These guidelines are intended to serve as an evaluation tool that is actually followed by the APPB. The new guidelines introduce new categories of crimes, such as a "very high" category of crimes which counts for 4 points and a lower category which adds 1 point. Felony crimes which injure someone or cause sexual violence are now scored at 4 points automatically. This new system also gives 3 points for violent encounters in prison rather than 2 points in the old system. The new system also removes positive consideration for being free of disciplinary actions. The board is not required to grant paroles based on this new stricter system; however, the state legislature hopes these stricter guidelines will allow the APPB to actually follow the guidelines rather than ignore them.

While there are many critics of these new proposals, ultimately the stricter guidelines may allow for more pardons than the current system. The APPB often does not follow their own guidelines and makes decisions on their own; often randomly and erratically. This could be because they feel the guidelines allow prisoners who should not be released to be released. This creates a random system where prisoners often do not know what to expect and creates false hope. While the new guidelines are stricter, if they are followed by the board, they would allow prisoners to know where they stand and their actual chances of being granted parole. If these new guidelines are followed, the pardon rate would increase.

For your loved one, this likely means his chances for parole are higher. If he had a violent offense in the past, this would give him 4 points. However, if he had no violent incidents or infractions, he would only have 4 points total. This would mean if the APPB properly follows their guidelines, and you obtain proper representation in front of the board, these new guidelines would provide your loved one a better chance. The board is more likely to follow strict guidelines than the current loose ones.

If you or a loved one has a Parole Hearing, contact Joe Ingram or Joe Joe Ingram Law, LLC at 205-335-2640. Get Relief * Get Results.