We Are Still Waiting, Chairman Dotson
I had a half hour phone conversation in November with Chadwick Dotson, the new chair of the Virginia Parole Board, about some longstanding concerns many have 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."
- Harvey Yoder, editor, cochair of Valley Justice Coalition Box 434, Harrisonburg, VA 22803
From The Editor’s Mailbag
“Keefe has again raised commissary prices, by 8.5 %, but there have been no pay raises for prison workers for decades.” - Charles E. Zellers, Sr. BKCC
"Here I am, at 73, with a lot of health problems, having spent almost 31 years in prison. I know the good Lord has helped me more than prison has. I've learned a lot from the Bible about right and wrong, and how to respect others...." - Kenneth Pack, BKCC
“I hope Parole Chairman Dotson holds true to what he is saying. About a hundred of us met with him... When they turn down a guy like Jeffrey A. Smith, who has a stack of certificates an inch thick, has educated himself, getting a college degree and helped countless people it makes no sense to me. I've known the guy over 24 years and could guarantee that if granted release he would never even jaywalk.I go up in a year and nine months. We'll see.” - John Livesay, GCC
“I need to go on medication before a stroke or heart attack arrives over high cholesterol. I'm trying to get used to dorm living after 30 years at a high security level. The article you printed on dormitory incarceration is very true. Those of us who have been in prison for decades should all be placed in institutions with single cells offered to those who want them. I'll be going up for parole in the second quarter of 2023 ... I have a home and a job waiting for me on a farm in WV.” - Branson Fink, DFCC
“It was a bad year. I lost my sister-in-law of 40 years, my mom and younger brother. They are missed, but I rejoice because they are in the best of hands and I will see them again.” - Daniel N. Leneave, GCC
“Many good men here are holding on by a long deferred thread of hope that in the coming years the legislature allows for parole to be reinstated in Virginia. One of my best friends is serving a 23 year sentence for his first run in with the law--for drugs. He's 55 now and knows very well it could be a life sentence considering the poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle here…If DOC was truly in the business of rehabilitating, programming for everyone would be their central focus. - Thomas Stover, DCC
“Many elderly inmates have deteriorated to the extent they no longer pose a danger to anyone; yet they remain incarcerated, costing taxpayers across America billions of dollars in a cycle of diminishing returns for society, their families and themselves. Research shows that the increase in prison population has not been driven by mere crime, but by policies that send more people to prison and keep them for longer periods of time, in turn a trend to increasing number of older inmates.” - Stephano Colosi, BKCC
“I have been denied parole 20 times. In 2005 my family, future employer, minister and attorney met with the Parole Board and were told I had done everything that I could, so it was just a matter of when they want to let me go. I am now 66, and could have been paroled when I was 44… Both my parents have died while I have been awaited release… At 66, I am retired from crime.” - Larry E. Patterson, DFCC
“I've lost all my family members who cared enough to send cards in the past 23 years, so I only get a few during the holidays. I'm still on a quest to have an Ancestry D.N.A. test done so I can find my biological father, who is unaware of my existence. My mother served in the Navy with him and never told my father about me. She left the service and gave me up to my grandparents who adopted and raised me. The VA Department of Corrections just won't let me use a D.N.A. test. I've tried everything I could think of. It's an ongoing battle, but I feel that all hope is lost and I will never find my father before he passes away. The passage of time slowly takes away all the joy of life and leaves nothing but sadness, but your card helped a little for that. Merry Christmas.” - Tom Melnyczyn, DFCC (editors note: This is part of a response to a Christmas card sent by a friend as encouraged on my Harvspot blog)
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