Opinion ID: 3015194
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Parole in Pennsylvania

Text: Parole decisions in Pennsylvania are governed by the Parole Act, Pa. Stat. Ann., tit. 61, §§ 331.1-331.34a. Once a prisoner has served his or her minimum sentence, the prisoner is eligible for parole. Id. § 331.21(a). The Parole Board has the “exclusive power to parole and reparole” prisoners sentenced to two or more years of imprisonment. Id. § 331.17. To determine a prisoner’s eligibility, the Parole Act directs the Board to consider, inter alia, the prisoner’s complete criminal record, conduct while in prison, “physical, mental, and behavior condition and history,” the “nature and circumstances of the offense committed,” and “the general character and background of the prisoner.” Id. § 331.19. To further aid its analysis, the Parole Board also looks to Pennsylvania’s Parole Decision Making Guidelines (“the Parole Guidelines”), which provide a prediction of the likelihood of parole by assigning a numerical value to certain criteria, based on past patterns of recidivism and an assessment of risk to the community. See Mickens-Thomas, 321 F.3d at 378-79. The Parole Guidelines include a worksheet and a formal numerical protocol: the higher the numerical score, the less likely a petitioner is to be granted parole.1 1 Prior to 1996, approximately twenty percent of parole decisions were contrary to the Parole Guidelines’ recommendation. Departures from the Guidelines required a written explanation to 3 These considerations, however, are not binding, as the Parole Act confers complete discretion on the Parole Board to make the ultimate parole determination. Id. § 331.21; see also Rogers v. Pa. Bd. of Prob. & Parole, 724 A.2d 319, 322 (Pa. 1999) (“[T]he General Assembly, in its wisdom, has conferred upon the Parole Board sole discretion to determine whether a prisoner is sufficiently rehabilitated to serve the remainder of his sentence outside of the confines of prison . . . .”). Thus parole decisions in Pennsylvania are generally not subject to judicial review unless the petitioner asserts a constitutional challenge to the denial of parole or seeks a writ of mandamus to compel the Parole Board to exercise its discretion. See Coady v. Vaughn, 770 A.2d 287, 290 (Pa. 2001) (“Where . . . discretionary actions and criteria are not being contested . . . an action for mandamus remains viable as a means for examining whether statutory requirements have been altered in a manner that violates the Ex Post Facto Clause . . . . Absent a change in the statutes governing parole, however, denial of parole would generally constitute a discretionary matter that is not subject to review.”). Section 1 of the Parole Act contains a general statement of the policy and philosophy of the Pennsylvania parole system. From its enactment in 1941 until 1996, Section 1 emphasized the values of rehabilitation and restoration to social and economic life, by providing the following statement of parole policy: The value of parole as a disciplinary and corrective influence and process is hereby recognized, and it is declared to be the public policy of this Commonwealth that persons subject or sentenced to imprisonment for crime shall, on release therefrom, be subjected to a period of parole during which their rehabilitation, adjustment, and explain the policy exception, usually with reference to certain nonguidelines factors such as psychotic behavior, patterns of habitual offense, or the recommendation of the Department of Corrections. Id. at 379. The Parole Guidelines continued to be employed after 1996, although the rate of departure in parole decision-making after 1996 is not clear from the record. 4 restoration to social and economic life and activities shall be aided and facilitated by guidance and supervision under a competent and efficient parole administration, and to that end it is the intent of this act to create a uniform and exclusive system for the administration of parole in this Commonwealth. Act of August 6, 1941, P. L. 861 § 1, formerly codified at Pa. Stat. Ann., tit. 61, § 331.1 (1995) (hereinafter, “the pre-1996 Parole Act”). In 1996, the Parole Act was modified to make public safety the primary consideration. See Act of December 18, 1996, P.L. 1098, No. 164 §1. The policy statement under the amended Parole Act reads as follows: The parole system provides several benefits to the criminal justice system, including the provision of adequate supervision of the offender while protecting the public, the opportunity for the offender to become a useful member of society and the diversion of appropriate offenders from prison. In providing these benefits to the criminal justice system, the board shall first and foremost seek to protect the safety of the public. In addition to this goal, the board shall address input by crime victims and assist in the fair administration of justice by ensuring the custody, control and treatment of paroled offenders. Act of December 18, 1996, P.L. 1098, No. 164 § 1 codified at Pa. Stat. Ann., tit. 61, §331.1 (2005) (hereinafter, “the 1996 Amendments”).