Fy 2008 annual report: driven by public safety [2008]

State Board
of Pardons
and Paroles
Driven By Public Safety
FY 2008 Annual Report

Driven By Public Safety FY 2008 Annual Report 2

Driven By Public Safety
THE PAROLE BOARD
Georgia's Constitution provides for three branches of government to serve as checks and balances on the power of government over the individual. The legislative branch sets the minimum and maximum range of the prison sentence, the judicial branch sentences the offender within that range, and the Parole Board, as part of the executive branch, serves as a check and balance on the other two branches, while managing the finite resource of state prison beds. The State Board of Pardons and Paroles is the only entity in the state with the constitutional authority to grant executive clemency. The Parole Board makes informed decisions on which inmates are deserving of parole, thereby ensuring that hard prison beds are dedicated to the offenders who have committed the most serious crimes. The Board's core mission is to manage prisoner reentry. Parole Officers skillfully and carefully reintegrate offenders into the community under strict supervision. Without the influence of parole's intense supervision, more offenders would return to Georgia prisons, creating a costly cycle of increasing recidivism.
Pictured from left to right: Board Member Garfield Hammonds, Jr., Board Member Milton E. Nix, Jr., Chair L. Gale Buckner, Board Member Garland R. Hunt, and Vice-Chair Robert E. Keller
FY 2008 Annual Report 3

Driven By Public Safety
Driven by Public Safety State Board of Pardons and Paroles
Our Mission
To enhance public safety by making informed parole decisions and
successfully transitioning offenders back into the community.
Our Vision
A parole system that leads to a safe Georgia.
Our Core Values
We value Ethics, Integrity, Fairness and Honesty.
FY 2008 Annual Report 4

I n s i de t h i s i s s u e :
Chair's Message Board Members Organization Chart Agency Expenditures Agency Highlights Office of Victim Services Clemency and Parole Selection Field Operations Parole and Prison Charts District Office Map

Driven By Public Safety
6 7 10 11 12 13 16 23 28 31
FY 2008 Annual Report 5

Message from the Chair:

Driven By Public Safety

The Honorable Sonny Perdue, Governor Members of the Georgia General Assembly Citizens of the State of Georgia

On behalf of the five members of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, I am pleased to present you with this agency's annual report for fiscal year 2008. The Board Members are dedicated to our mission of enhancing public safety by making informed parole decisions and successfully transitioning offenders back to our communities.

The State Board of Pardons and Paroles currently supervises over 21,475 parolees, and is the only entity in the state with the constitutional authority to grant executive clemency. Georgia's prison population is the 5th largest in the nation, and 1 in 15 adult Georgians is under some form of correctional supervision.
The resilience and dedication of Parole Officers has enabled the Field Division to complete a remarkable 432,877 contacts with parolees as part of the surveillance component of parole supervision. Parole Officers skillfully and carefully reintegrate parolees into the community. Their commitment to excellence has resulted in 64% of the parolee population successfully completing parole supervision.
In addition, the Board voted unanimously to amend its rules pertaining to Parole Consideration as they relate to Parole Decision Guidelines. The adjustments to the Parole Decision Guidelines represented a three-year study and analysis of risk factors utilized in granting clemency to offenders, past clemency practices, and the effects of the new guidelines on prison capacity. The Board found it to be in the public's best interest, and specifically in the best interest of the criminal justice community, to establish Parole Decision Guidelines that incorporate a scientifically based, data driven risk instrument with new time-to-serve recommendations.

"I am proud of the commitment and integrity demonstrated on a daily basis by parole employees, and it is an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Georgia "
L. Gale Buckner Chair

I hope that you will take the time to review this annual report, and learn more about the employees and programs that make us one of the most professional paroling authorities in the country.

The Members of the Parole Board are honored to be a part of this organization, proud to report the accomplishments and goals of our dedicated personnel, and privileged to pledge to Georgians even greater achievements for FY09.

Respectfully,

FY 2008 Annual Report 6

Driven By Public Safety

BOARD MEMBERS
In 1943, the Georgia General Assembly enacted legislation to create the State Board of Pardons and Paroles as an independent agency to administer executive clemency, grant paroles, pardons, reprieves, commute sentences (including death sentences), remit sentences and remove disabilities imposed by law.
The Georgia Constitution provides that Parole Board Members are to be appointed by the Governor to serve seven- year staggered terms, subject to confirmation by the State Senate. Originally, the Board had only three members. In 1973, when the prison population reached 9,000 inmates, the Constitution was amended to expand the Parole Board to five members. The Board still stands at five members, although the prison population has risen to 54,000 inmates. Parole Board Members come from a variety of backgrounds, including law enforcement, public policy, corrections, legal affairs and ministry.

Chair L. Gale Buckner of Chatsworth, Georgia, was
appointed to the Board in January 2005 by Governor Sonny Perdue. In May 2006, she was elected Vice Chair of the Parole Board and in May 2008 she was elected Chair. Chair Buckner received her Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia State University, and her Master of Public Administration from Brenau University. She began her law enforcement career with the Chatsworth Police Department as a Communications Officer, rising to the level of Sergeant. In 1981, she began her career at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) as an Undercover Operative, and specialized in corruption and white-collar crime cases, earning the Director's Award for Outstanding Investigations in 1984. She also served as GBI's Director of Legislative and Intergovern- mental Affairs. She is a graduate of the 169th session of the FBI National Academy. In 2000, Chair Buckner was appointed Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Office of the Governor, where she coordinated policy initiatives regarding offender reentry and victims' services. In 2007, she received the Dr. Lois Higgins-Grote Heritage Award from the International Association of Women Police. Her vast experience in the criminal justice field affords her a unique vantage which will enhance the implementation of the mission and vision of the Board.

L. Gale Buckner Chair
FY 2008 Annual Report 7

BOARD MEMBERS

Driven By Public Safety

Vice Chair Robert E. Keller, from Clayton County, was
appointed to the Board by Governor Sonny Perdue on January 3, 2007, and elected Vice Chair of the Parole Board in May 2008. Vice Chair Keller served as Executive Counsel to the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, and is the former chairman of that organization. Before joining the Prosecuting Attorneys Council, he served as both Assistant District Attorney and District Attorney of Clayton County. He also maintained a private practice from 1974-1977. Vice Chair Keller served as a member of the Georgia Board of Public Safety, the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Judicial Retirement System, the Georgia Code Revision Plan Committee, and the Commission to Assess Crime Laboratory Needs into the 21st Century. He also served as Vice Chair of the Governor's Commission on Certainty in Sentencing. Vice Chair Keller earned a bachelor's degree from Birmingham Southern College and a law degree from Emory Law School. Vice Chair Keller brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice system, and his reputation and credibility among the judiciary and prosecutors is highly admired.

Robert E. Keller ViceChair

Garfield Hammonds, Jr. Board Member

Mr. Garfield Hammonds, Jr. of Atlanta, appointed in 1995
and reappointed in 2002, has devoted his career to law enforcement since 1969 when he joined the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as a Special Agent working undercover in Detroit and New York. He quickly advanced to supervisory positions, including Country Attach to Jamaica, and subsequently became the Special Agent in Charge of the Southeast Region, from which he later retired so he could remain in Georgia. In 1994, Governor Miller appointed him to head the Department of Children and Youth. One year later, Governor Miller appointed him to the Parole Board. Mr. Hammonds served as chairman of the Board during 1996. While a DEA leader, his concern about youth at risk for drug addiction and criminality led him to implement an award-winning prevention program. His tough stance on criminals, his expert knowledge of the impact of drugs, and his dedication to divert youth from crime add impetus to the agency goal of public safety.

FY 2008 Annual Report 8

BOARD MEMBERS
Milton E. "Buddy" Nix, Jr. of Conyers, was appointed to the
Board in June 2002 to fill an interim term, and was then appointed to a full seven year term in December 2002 during the only bipartisan swearing in ceremony in Board history. He served as Board Chairman from 2002 to 2006. Mr. Nix, a graduate of the University of Georgia, began his law enforcement career as a Special Agent of the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He served from 1964 to 1970, completing a one year tour of duty in Vietnam. Following his military service, Mr. Nix began a 23 year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a Special Agent. He served tours of duty in Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee and FBI Headquarters. He completed his FBI career in 1993 in Houston, Texas, where he supervised a squad responsible for international terrorism, general property and bank robbery investigations. In 1993, he was appointed Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) by Governor Zell Miller. During his tenure at GBI, Mr. Nix led a major expansion of the GBI State Crime Lab system and the creation of Georgia's DNA database of convicted felons. Mr. Nix is a member of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, Society of Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agents, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc., where he was named Chief of the Year in 1998. He is also a 1999 graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute.

Driven By Public Safety
Milton E. Nix, Jr. Board Member

Garland R. Hunt, Esq. Board Member

Garland R. Hunt, Esq., of Alpharetta, was appointed to the
Parole Board in January 2004 and, one month later, Board Members elected him to Vice-Chairman of the Parole Board. He served as Board Chairman from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2008. After attending undergraduate and law school at Howard University in Washington , D.C., Mr. Hunt served as a staff attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. Prior to becoming a Member of the Parole Board, Mr. Hunt owned a consulting company and served as General Counsel and Executive Vice-President of the Fellowship of International Churches. Mr. Hunt was President of the 2004 Class of the Coverdell Leadership Institute, a 2006 graduate of Leadership Georgia, and named to Who's Who in Black Atlanta. He was appointed in 2004 as a member of the Governor's Commission on Family Violence. Mr. Hunt is currently the Vice President of the Association of Paroling Authorities International and previously served as the Chairman of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee. He has been a guest speaker for various organizations and was presented the key to the city of Dalton, Georgia, in 2008. In 2008, he received the President's Award from the Association of Paroling Authorities International. An ordained minister, Mr. Hunt is the co-pastor of The Father's House in Norcross, Georgia. His
background in ministry and law bring a unique set of skills to the
Parole Board.
FY 2008 Annual Report 9

Driven By Public Safety
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
FY 2008 Annual Report 10

Driven By Public Safety

AGENCY EXPENDITURES

Personal Services
Regular Salaries Annual Leave Pay Other Supplemental Overtime Temporary FICA Retirement Health Insurance Unemployment Workers' Compensation Assessments by Merit System Drug Testing
Total
Regular Operating Motor Vehicle Purchases Equipment Computer Charges Real Estate Rentals Telecommunications Contracts Health Services County Jail Subsidy
Total Expenditures

$29,287,643 259,333 141,494 87,205 141,438
2,133,021 3,088,126 6,802,247
33,182 330,039 121,569
5,549
$42,430,846
$3,122,863 269,033 268,304 987,704
2,817,516 1,224,767 4,193,998
10,421 654,740
$55,980,192

FY 2008 Annual Report 11

Driven By Public Safety
SOUND PRACTICES, EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS
FY 08 Highlights and Accomplishments

CLEMENCY ONLINE NAVIGATION SYSTEM (CONS)
CONS will convert paper driven business processes into electronic data and images using a work flow management system, which will allow multiple users access to the data. The ability to complete multiple business processes contemporaneously greatly increases the efficiency of case preparation for parole consideration. Imaging, the production of graphic images from digitally generated data, is an important component of CONS. Three years ago, the Board began working on its first imaging project in conjunction with the Secretary of State's Division of Archives and History.
With successful results, the imaging process has been implemented and has already been integrated into routine business processes of the Clemency Division. It is a key piece of the CONS project and, though a majority of CONS is still being developed, the Clemency Division is excited to begin the migration from a paper-based system to an electronic system. Beyond the obvious advantages of being liberated from bulky, cumbersome paper files, CONS will increase the efficiency of case preparation for parole consideration. It will also increase security and integrity of data in individual case records.
PAROLE COMPLETION RATES AT AN ALL TIME HIGH
Georgia is recognized nationally as a leading paroling authority.

The success of the agency can be attributed to management strategies that focus on performance based measures, successful outcomes, and the professionalism and dedication of Georgia's parole officers.
Parole Officers skillfully and carefully reintegrate parolees into the community. Their commitment to excellence has resulted in 64% of the parolee population successfully completing parole supervision.
BOARD AMENDS AGENCY RULES
The Parole Board voted unanimously to amend its rules pertaining to Parole Consideration as it relates to Parole Decision Guidelines. The adjustments to the Parole Decision Guidelines represented a three-year study and analysis of risk factors utilized in granting clemency to offenders, past clemency practices, and the effects of the new guidelines on prison capacity. It was found to be in the public's best interest, and specifically in the best interest of the criminal justice community, to establish Parole Decision Guidelines that incorporate a scientifically based, data driven risk instrument with new time-to-serve recommendations.
These guidelines represent, for the first time, a linking of historical Board decisions with the statewide-average length of prison sentences imposed by Superior Court Judges. The new Parole Decision Guidelines exemplify the Board's effort to ensure public safety for the citizens of Georgia, while making the best use of state prison beds for the most dangerous offenders.
FY 2008 Annual Report 12

VICTIM SERVICES
OFFICE OF VICTIM SERVICES
PROVIDING A HELPING HAND

Driven By Public Safety

As new offenders enter the Georgia prison system, the victims, their survivors and/or other interested parties can contact the Corrections and Parole Board Office of Victim Services.

The impact of the offender's actions on victims and the community is important to the Board and the Department of Corrections. The Office of Victim Services works with victims and/or their families to answer their questions about parole, to ensure their views and concerns reach the Board Members prior to any parole decision, and to keep them notified of activity on their case. All letters and contacts with the office are made a permanent and confidential part of the case file on the inmate. When the offender becomes eligible for parole consideration, the victims' wishes, fears, and concerns become a critical part of the parole decision process.

The Crime Victims Bill of Rights, passed in the State of Georgia during the 1995

legislative session, affords victims of crime a variety of rights. Among those is

the right to receive notification about the status of their case

throughout the criminal justice process. This includes the right to be notified by the State Board of Pardons and Paroles whenever it makes a decision to grant parole to an offender convicted of certain types of

"The impact of the offender's action on

offenses. This also includes the right to be notified of the impending

victims and the

release of an offender from the custody of the Georgia Department of community is important

Corrections.

to the Board"

Victims Visitors' Day

L. Gale Buckner Chair

The Office of Victim Services, in order to enhance services to victims of crime, instituted a Victims Visitors' Day in 2006. Board Members and employees of the Parole Board travel to various cities across the state to address face-to face the needs of victims and their families. The Office of Victim Services has met with over 600 crime victims and their families since this special program began.

FY 2008 Annual Report 13

VICTIM SERVICES

Driven By Public Safety

VICTIM INFORMATION PROGRAM (V.I.P.)
V.I.P. is a 24-hour automated information system that provides victims of crime and/or their families with access to information about their offender. By simply picking up a telephone and dialing the toll-free V.I.P. number, information regarding custody and status of an inmate can be obtained.
Upon registering, victims will automatically begin receiving computer generated notification calls when any of the following occurs:

The offender is released from prison, or after having completed the court ordered term of
incarceration

V.I.P. also operates as a notification system. Through computer generated telephone calls, individuals who have registered with the Office of Victim Services will automatically receive notification of the release of their offender from custody.
Victims or family members of the victim can register for notification by returning a completed Crime Victim Notification Request Form or Victim Impact Statement to the Office of Victim Services. Upon receiving a completed form, the Office of Victim Services enters the request for notification into the system.
These forms can also be obtained and completed from the website at:
www.pap.state.ga.us
Crime Victims may call the V.I.P. Hotline to receive updates concerning the following
inmate information:

The offender is released from prison after completing the confinement portion of
the sentence to begin a court ordered
probation period
Upon being granted a parole release
The escape and recapture of the
offender
The death of the offender while in the custody of Corrections

Current incarceration location

Parole Status/Eligibility

Maximum or scheduled release date

FY 2008 Annual Report 14

VICTIM SERVICES

Driven By Public Safety

VICTIMS COMPENSATION and RESTITUTION
Georgia parolees are required to make monthly payments that directly benefit victims and communities. Parolees who were sentenced after July 1, 2005, are required to pay restitution to victims if ordered by the court. All other parolees must pay a $30.00 monthly supervision fee that goes directly into the State treasury's general fund. If serv- ing for a violent or sex offense, the money collected goes into the Crime Victims Compen- sation Fund, which provides reimbursement to innocent victims of violent crimes.

FY 2008 Annual Report 15

Driven By Public Safety
CLEMENCY AND PAROLE SELECTION
The Parole Process
In Georgia, no prison inmate is entitled to parole. Most, however, by law are eligible to be considered for parole at some point, usually after serving one-third of their prison sentence.
Exceptions to this are offenders sentenced to a term-of-years sentence for a serious violent felony, life without parole, and fourth-felony recidivists. Eligible inmates are automatically considered for parole regardless of appeals or other legal action by the inmate or his or her representative.
A favorable parole decision results in the Board establishing a "tentative parole month" (TPM) for the offender, contingent on positive progress reports and other information received during the intervening months or years. A tentative parole may be rescinded by the Board at any time, for any reason, prior to the scheduled prison release date.
The typical parole consideration is as follows:
THE INVESTIGATION: When an offender enters the prison system, Parole Investigators study arrest and court records, contacting local officials to determine the details of the offender's crime and any prior offenses. Next, a Parole Investigator interviews the offender in prison to gather information about the offender's personal history, including previous residences, employment, family situation, educational background and an account of the current crime. Finally, a Board employee conducts interviews with family members and former employers. These steps reveal information critical to determining if, when, and how the offender should be returned to the community to ensure public safety.
FY 2008 Annual Report 16

CLEMENCY AND PAROLE SELECTION
HEARING EXAMINER REVIEW: A Board Hearing Examiner reviews the offender's file and extracts specific factors such as education, work history, substance abuse, and prior criminal history to establish a risk score and to prepare a summary of the case for the Board.
Using a guidelines grid approved by the members of the Board, the Examiner cross-references the risk score with the appropriate crime severity level. The crime severity levels begin at level one for offenses such as shoplifting and go to level eight.
The cross-referenced guidelines grid produces a number of months or percentage of the sentence recommendation, which in the case of months-to-be-served recommendation, can exceed the entire length of the sentence. The Hearing Examiner then submits the guidelines recommendation, along with the entire Board file on the offender, to the Board Members for their vote on the case.
BOARD VOTE: Board Members independently consider the guidelines recommendation and review the offender's file. They may agree with the guidelines recommendation or they may exercise their constitutional discretion and vote to increase or decrease the amount of time the inmate will have to serve in prison. A grant of parole requires the affirmative vote of three of the five members of the Board.

Driven By Public Safety
"THE FILE OF AN OFFENDER"
Drug Reports Personal History Sentencing Reports Criminal History Legal Investigation Parole Review Summary Victims Letters Employment History Prison Diagnostic Summary Social Investigations

FY 2008 Annual Report 17

CLEMENCY AND PAROLE SELECTION

Driven By Public Safety

Following consideration,
inmates receive written notice of the Board's decision on their
case.

PAROLE GUIDELINES: Since 1979, the Parole Board has reviewed non-life sentence cases under Parole Decision Guidelines, one of the country's first standardized methods of predicting an offender's success on parole. Under the guidelines system, Hearing Examiners use factors such as education level and prior criminal history, coupled with the crime severity, to evaluate the offender's risk and likelihood for success outside of prison walls.
The Parole Board revised its Parole Decision Guidelines grid and changed the manner in which it evaluates offenders for cases consid- ered after January 1, 2008. The Parole Board made theses changes because it determined that it was in the public's best interest to adopt revised Parole Decision Guidelines that incorporate a scientifically based, data-driven risk instrument with new time-to- serve recommendations. These new Guidelines represent, for the first time, a linkage with the statewide-average length of prison sentences imposed by Superior Court Judges.
In the new Parole Decision Guidelines grid, the minimum mid-point Parole Decision Guidelines recommendation for each Crime Severity Level represents one-third, or more, of the Statewide-average prison sentence for all crimes assigned that Crime Severity Level. These amendments to the Parole Decision Guidelines were preceded by a three-year study and analysis of risk factors utilized in granting clemency to offenders, past clemency practices, and the effects of the new guidelines on prison capacity. The Board's new Parole Decision Guidelines represent its best effort to protect the public from harm by maximizing the utility of the state's prison system to ensure that the most dangerous offenders are incarcerated for the longest period of time possible, given the State's available resources.

If parole has been approved, the offender is advised of a `tentative parole month' and cautioned that the decision may be
rescinded up to the hour of release.
FY 2008 Annual Report 18

CLEMENCY AND PAROLE SELECTION

Driven By Public Safety

LIFE SENTENCED INMATES
Georgia law requires the Parole Board to consider for parole offenders serving life sentences for serious violent felonies (murder, rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery, armed robbery, or kidnapping) after they have served 14 years in prison. This law was recently changed to require parole consideration after 30 years for serious violent felony offenders committing their crimes on or after July 1, 2006. The law also requires periodic parole reconsideration until the offender dies or is granted parole, or a medical reprieve. As is illustrated by the graph, eligibility for parole consideration in no way implies that parole will be granted.

FY 2008 Annual Report 19

CLEMENCY AND PAROLE SELECTION

Driven By Public Safety

DEATH CASE APPEALS

An offender may also apply for a pardon

The Parole Board has the sole constitutional that is not based on innocence. The

authority to commute or reduce a death offender must have completed the full

sentence. Only after an inmate appears to sentence, including probation, made any

have exhausted all appeals and other

court-ordered payments, and demonstrated

judicial avenues of relief will the Parole

rehabilitation by living five additional years

Board consider granting a commutation to a without any criminal involvement. Under death-sentenced inmate. At that time, the Georgia Law, a person convicted of a felony

condemned inmate's attorney may petition loses his or her civil and political rights,

the Board to grant executive clemency to including the right to vote, the right to hold

his or her client.

public office, and the right to serve on a jury.

The right to vote is restored automatically

After the Board has heard from all

by operation of the law upon completion of

concerned parties and has fully deliberated the full sentence, including probation. A

and considered the case, each Member casts person who was convicted under Georgia

a confidential vote to grant or to deny a

Law may apply for a Pardon.

commutation of the death sentence. A grant

of commutation requires the affirmative An application form to request a pardon

vote of three of the five members of the

from the Parole Board can be obtained from

Board.

the website at:

THE PARDON PROCESS

www.pap.state.ga.us

The Board is authorized to grant a pardon to an offender, declaring that the individual is relieved from all legal consequences of a previous conviction. A pardon restores civil and political rights and removes legal disabilities resulting from conviction in a Georgia court of law. No pardon is automatic and the Board reviews the merits of each individual pardon application.

A pardon can be granted in two instances: The first, and most rare, is if an individual proves his or her complete innocence of the crime for which he or she was convicted. Since the Board was created in 1943, only two pardons have been granted to individuals the Board concluded were wrongly convicted.

FY 2008 Annual Report 20

CLEMENCY AND PAROLE SELECTION

Driven By Public Safety
A RESTORATION OF CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS

The Board will consider restoring a former offender's civil and political rights after completion of a two year waiting period following completion of the sentence. This order restores the right to hold political office and serve on a jury. There are other less well known limitations, such as the ability to sell lottery tickets or obtain a cosmetology license, which may be effected by a restoration of civil and political rights.
An application form to request a restoration of civil and political rights from the Parole Board can be obtained from the website at:
www.pap.state.ga.us

REENTRY PARTNERSHIP HOUSING PROGRAM

Total Cost Spent To Incarcerate Inmates Past Their Board Authorized Tentative Release Date

The Reentry Partnership Housing (RPH) provides housing to convicted felons who remain in prison after the Parole Board has authorized their release due solely to having no residential options.
The RPH program finds housing units that are approved for parolee placement, and provides short term financial assistance to help stabilize the parolees' reentry process, so that they can remain crime free.

$5,847,006

FY 2008 Annual Report 21

CLEMENCY AND PAROLE SELECTION

Driven By Public Safety

CLEMENCY ACTIONS IN FY 08

FY 2008 Annual Report 22

Driven By Public Safety
FIELD OPERATIONS
Sound Practices, Measurable Outcomes

As a leader among paroling authorities nationwide, the Parole Board has adopted an internal philosophy of visibility and transparency in measuring success under parole supervision. Supplemented by the electronic case management system and groundbreaking methods of analyzing and reviewing performance measures on a real-time basis, the Board has implemented management practices which serve to reinforce the causal linkage between effective supervision strategies and parole success with statewide rankings, charts, and rolling summaries of performance at all levels of the Field Division.
Parole Officers spend eight weeks in training studying defensive tactics, constitutional law, supervision techniques, victims' rights and other subjects. Officers are also required to qualify with a semi-automatic weapon, a skill they maintain through semi-annual re-qualifications. Graduates of the rigorous training are certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council to serve as Georgia Peace Officers, sworn to protect and serve the public.
The resilience and dedication of Parole Officers has enabled the Field Division to complete a remarkable 432,877 contacts with parolees as part of the surveillance component of parole supervision.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE ASSESSMENTS AND GROUPS
Research conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) clearly reveals a correlation between substance abuse treatment and lower levels of drug abuse and criminal behavior. These "outpatient" group services are available in every parole district in the state.
In FY `08, over 9,321 parolees were enrolled in a primary substance treatment program and 4,117 parolees successfully completed treatment.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING
COGNITIVE SKILLS
EMPLOYMENT
ELECTRONIC MONITORING

FY 2008 Annual Report 23

FIELD OPERATIONS

Driven By Public Safety
COGNITIVE SKILLS PROGRAM
With increased momentum, Georgia Parole Officers are facilitating a cognitive behavioral program that assists parolees in taking responsibility for their past and future actions. Moral Reconation Therapy is designed to allow parolees to assess the thinking process that led to the decisions placing them in their current situation and to become more effective in making positive decisions in the future. It is defined as "a systematic, cognitive-behavioral, step-by-step treatment strategy designed to enhance self-image, promote growth of positive, productive identity and facilitate the development of higher stages of moral reasoning."
The agency holds three facilitator training classes per fiscal year and trains 25 parole officers per class. This program is cost efficient in that facilitator training is conducted in-house. Four officers have met the Train the Trainer requirements and 219 officers are trained as facilitators in the Field Division.
EMPLOYMENT
The attainment of full-time employment by parolees is perhaps the most important factor contributing to their success under supervision and in maintaining a productive, law-abiding lifestyle. Effective referrals to prospective employers and encouragement and monitoring of employment retention are focal points of a parole officer's intervention efforts. The result was an impressive 84% rate of employment among employable parolees at the end of FY 08, an increase of 1% from the previous year.
NO TURNING BACK
No Turning Back, the substance abuse treatment program located at the Whitworth Parole Center in Hartwell, has sixty beds for parolees assessed to be in need of this five month program. The program emphasizes recovery from addiction, relapse prevention, and release preparation. Over 200 parolees have successfully completed the program. The parolees are being tracked to determine whether or not they successfully complete parole supervision upon their release from No Turning Back.
FY 2008 Annual Report 24

FIELD OPERATIONS

Driven By Public Safety

DRUG TESTING
Random and targeted drug screens are conducted by parole officers to ensure parolee compliance with the conditions of release and as a method of detecting and deterring drug use. The total number of drug tests for FY'08 was 100,548. Of these tests, 14,770 were conducted on parolees that were randomly selected.
The 10% positive drug screen rate among those parolees who were randomly selected for testing is a notably encouraging sign when considering that many offenders enter the prison system with a drug related history. Also, this represents a 2.5% drop in the number of positive drug screens as compared to FY'07, even as the number of parolees tested has increased.
The results of random drug testing is a significant leading indicator of the future success of a parolee under supervision.

FY 2008 Annual Report 25

FIELD OPERATIONS
Out-of-state parolees supervised by Georgia
856 Georgia parolees supervised by other states
2,577

Driven By Public Safety
INTERSTATE SUPERVISION OF PAROLEES
Georgia is a member of the Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision. This national commission provides coordination for states with offenders crossing state lines. The Commission is responsible for adopting and managing the rules that govern the transfer of such offenders.
The Commission allows Georgia to transfer a Georgia- sentenced parolee to the supervision of another state for legitimate, verifiable reasons. Primarily, offenders are transferred so they can return to their original residence or family, particularly if the environment is conducive to the parolee's successful rehabilitation. For those same reasons, Georgia agrees to supervise approved parolees transferred from other states. Out-of-state parolees must obey the parole conditions of the sentencing state, as well as those of the state accepting their supervision.
The State Board of Pardons and Paroles Interstate Compact Unit oversees the placement and transfer of all parolees to and from the state of Georgia, arranges su- pervision of transferring parolees, responds to violations, manages extradition, and maintains the files of Conditional Transfers to Federal, out-of-state, and Immigration and Naturalization Service Detainers.

REVOCATION PROCESS
Despite efforts to assist parolees to become productive members of society, some parolees do not fulfill the requirements of their parole. In these cases, the Parole Board issues a Board warrant for the parolee's arrest. If the parolee has absconded from supervision, a temporary revocation order is issued. This order suspends the offender's sentence. Parolees arrested on a Board warrant for allegedly violating a parole condition are afforded a preliminary hearing before a Hearing Officer. The hearing determines whether there is probable cause to believe the conditions of parole were violated. Following this preliminary hearing, a report is issued to the Board by the Hearing Officer. A final hearing is held before a Board Member, who then makes a recommendation to the full Board on whether or not parole should be revoked and the offender returned to prison.

FY 2008 Annual Report 26

FIELD OPERATIONS

Driven By Public Safety

Each year the US Justice Department, Bureau of Justice Statistics, gathers information from the 50 states on parolees who left supervision during the previous year. This BJS Pa- role Survey enables BJS to determine the national average parole completion rate, allow- ing states to determine the effectiveness of their supervision strategies. Georgia's consis- tent focus on accountability through employment, drug treatment, and changing destruc- tive thinking patterns has paid off with a steady yearly increase in completion rates. This focus is even more encouraging, given the declining national completion rates documented in the BJS report.

FY 2008 Annual Report 27

Parole and Prison Charts

Driven By Public Safety

Cost Comparison: Prison vs. Parole

This graph illustrates the average daily cost of one day in a Georgia prison versus one day on parole. Georgia's citizens know certain offenders must be incarcerated to protect communities across the state while, at the same time, the vast majority of sentences will end and these offenders will return to these communities. A period of strict community supervision before the sentence ends is a sensible and safe alternative to a release with no monitoring or guidance. Georgia's supervision focuses on jobs and effective reintegration. Moreover, supervision of Georgia parolees resulted in 64% of parolees successfully completing parole, and allowed the state to avoid over $351 million in incarceration costs if they had remained in prison.

FY 2008 Annual Report 28

Parole and Prison Charts

Driven By Public Safety

Offenders are released from prison in Georgia primarily by Parole Board clemency action (parole) to strict community supervision or at the end of the prison portion of the sentence. As illustrated in the graph, parole releases have remained relatively steady, between 10,000 and 12,000, while releases at the end of the sentence (max-outs) have increased, almost doubling since 1999. One reason for the increase in max-outs is the growing number of offenders entering prison who are serving mandatory sentences. Many of these inmates are released back to the community after long sentences with no guidance, monitoring, or counseling to address employment, drug or mental health problems that contributed to their criminal activity.

FY 2008 Annual Report 29

Parole and Prison Charts

Driven By Public Safety

Offenders Under State Supervision
This table lists the number of offenders serving state felony sentences in prison, on probation, and on parole. A total of 90% of all offenders are either in prison or on probation as ordered by the state's superior court judges. The remaining 10% of offenders have been released from prison by the Parole Board to parole supervision. Probationers represent 86% of all felons under supervision in the community. Among offenders serving for violent offenses, 46% are in prison, another 46% are in the community on probation, and 8% are on parole. Similarly, only 2% of the state's sex offenders are on parole while 52% remain in prison and 46% are in the community on probation. Eighty percent of all offenders under supervision in the community on probation or parole are serving for non-violent crimes.

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FIELD OPERATIONS

DISTRICT OFFICE MAP

Driven By Public Safety

FY 2008 Annual Report 31

The FY 08 Annual Report was prepared by the Parole Board's
Office of Public Affairs and
Research, Evaluation and Technology.
For further information please contact:
State Board of Pardons and Paroles 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.E.
Suite 458, East Tower Atlanta, Georgia 303344909
4046565651 www.pap.state.ga.us