Thank you for supporting parole reform!

Thank you for supporting SB 620, which reforms West Virginia’s parole system . For too long, the promise of the parole system has not been fulfilled, bogged down in bureaucratic red tape and court delays. This has resulted in overpopulated prisons and people who have already paid their debt to society remaining incarcerated. 

Senate Bill 620 allows the Commissioner of Corrections to establish a nonviolent offense parole program for eligible inmates that would help accelerate lower-risk prisoner’s access to parole, prioritizing limited space in West Virginia’s overcrowded correctional facilities for more individuals convicted of more serious offenses.

Offering earlier parole in exchange for completing rehabilitative programming provides a valuable incentive for incarcerated individuals to improve their lives and equip themselves for a successful return to their communities. Reducing overcrowding by focusing prison space on higher-risk individuals also spares West Virginia taxpayers the unnecessary burden of paying to incarcerate people who no longer need to be in prison to successfully contribute to society. 

Thank you for continuing to support smart-on-crime, soft-on-taxpayer criminal justice reform.