A Conversation With The Parole Board Chair

Chairman Dotson's interest in the rehabilitation of offenders
became stronger, he says, as he presided over a drug court
in his southwest Virginia community. (TimesNews photo)

I had a half hour phone conversation yesterday with Chadwick Dotson, the chair of the Virginia Parole Board appointed by Governor Youngkin, about some of the  longstanding concerns many have had about our present parole system. He had read my column in the February 5, 2022 Richmond Times on parole and said he was in substantial agreement with the  reforms proposed by the Prison Policy Initiative as cited in my Times piece. 

The Chairman reiterated his desire to give every parole eligible person a fair hearing and a second chance, but admitted that so far the Board's grant rates haven't reflected the change in numbers he hopes to see in the upcoming months. Not all members of his Board agree on how, among other things, the seriousness of an individual's crime should affect a decision about their release versus the seriousness with which they have worked at their rehabilitation. He stated several times that he would like to be able to have more members have actual conversations with the individuals whose cases are being reviewed so they could interact with real persons and not just with data provided by board examiners. Since three of the five board members are only part time, this remains a challenge.

He also said that victims and victim families deserve to have a voice but not a veto in deciding a case, and that everything possible should be done to carry out the Parole Board's stated mission, which is to "grant release to those whose release is compatible with public safely." He also said he would seriously consider the suggestion made by many that all favorable votes be reported as well as unfavorable ones. Currently voting stops when three board members vote to deny release (via a remote computer) which means parole eligible persons never know whether the remaining vote or votes would have been a yes or a no.

Dotson agreed that the element of hope for release is vital to the morale of those incarcerated and to the safety of the prisons housing them, and that detainees deserve to know why they are repeatedly denied release time after time in spite of all of their efforts at remaining infraction free and in spite of their availing themselves of every rehabilitative program offered.

The chairman reported that he and other board members have visited numerous other states to see how they are working at granting parole, and says they are working on a new procedural manual that is to be presented to Governor Youngkin by the end of he month for his review and approval for the upcoming year. He hopes the 2023 Virginia Assembly and Senate will support these and other measures to help bring about positive changes in the way Virginia's criminal justice system functions.

As to the work of the Parole board, "Wait and see what happens in the next number of months," he said, "as we engage in 'structured decision making' regarding the future of all cases under review."

Here's a link to a report on Dotson's visit to Buckingham Correctional Center in May: 

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2022/05/new-parole-chair-meets-with-buckingham.html