Defendant was sentenced to prison terms of three to twenty years for armed robbery, one to five years for carrying a concealed weapon, and two years for felony-firearm. Defendant's minimum sentence expired on or about July 22, 1994. Based on that finding, the court vacated the parole order and defendant was returned to prison.
Defendant now appeals the circuit court's order.
The Legislature has entrusted the decision whether to grant or deny parole to the parole board. Traditionally, the board's discretion has been deemed to be broad, though still subject to judicial review. While the parole board continues to enjoy broad discretion in carrying out its legislatively prescribed function, the Legislature's recent enactments have circumscribed this discretion to some extent. In addition to limiting the board's discretion, the Legislature clarified the right of prisoners, crime victims, and prosecutors to appeal the parole board's decisions to the circuit court. The action of the parole board in granting or denying a parole is appealable by the prisoner, the prosecutor of the county from which the prisoner was committed, or the victim of the crime for which the prisoner was convicted.