MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Midway through the 2024 fiscal year, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Parole is granting parole to eligible inmates at its highest rate since 2020, according to a recent report.
Although the parole board hasn’t adopted new guidelines to explain the increase, plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state regarding its inmate labor program believe the rise in parole grants is due to growing legal pressure and scrutiny on the board.
As of March, the average monthly parole rate was over 19%, a notable jump from 8% in 2023 and 10% and 15% in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
In comparison to the first six months of fiscal year 2023, which had an average parole grant rate of only 6%, the rate in the first six months of the current fiscal year has more than tripled.
After declining for years from a high of 55% in 2017, the state’s decreasing parole grant rates have been cited by critics as a major factor contributing to Alabama’s prison overcrowding.
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