Parole Board

In response to the Dec. 4 letter about the parole board being held accountable for its “criminal actions”: The Board of Prison Terms only makes parole release decisions on inmates who have indeterminate or “life” sentences, such as 25 to life. These crimes are basically kidnapping, murder 2 and murder 1. All other inmates, about 90% of the total prison population, face a determinate or set-term sentence, as was the case of the killer of LAPD Officer Brian Brown. These inmates are paroled automatically when their sentence is completed or they are released early by the Department of Corrections for good behavior.

Having had the privilege of working with the men and woman of the board for a year, I can attest to the fact that they take their responsibility to public safety seriously. In fact, the board is often criticized for releasing only a very small percentage (less than 1%) of the inmates who come before it.

It is the sentencing laws that allow these criminals back on the street, not the Board of Prison Terms.

STEVEN TOLLE

Sacramento