FREMONT March 2009 Parole Board Decisions

INFORMATION UPDATED 04-20-09*

 Updated Information is underlined

NEW INFORMATION

The CO Board of Parole has granted parole to one offender sentenced under the Lifetime Supervision Act. The offender’s parole hearing was held on March 2, 2009 and he was recommended for a full board review. On April 10, 2009 the Board of Parole met to conduct full board reviews and the offender was granted parole. This is but a small victory in an uphill battle but nonetheless it is a victory. Congratulations to this offender and Good luck to those still waiting on a decision.

Beginning with the March 2, 2009 Parole Board Hearings, I have been able to obtain the approximate number of hearings held on that date. Due to Fremont Correctional Facility (FCF) being predominantly a sex offender population; having a Phase I Sex Offender Treatment Program and the ONLY “Modified Phase II” (this is the title Peggy Heil, Director SOTMP, and others, like to use to refer to the program, and I will explain more on a later page about the my opinion why they like to call it this) Sex Offender Treatment Program.

I state “approximate” due to the fact we are dealing with CDOC and who really  knows what the “real” numbers are! I know for a fact, there is at least one inmate who was scheduled for a hearing on March 2, 2009, but his info did not appear in the information I was able to obtain. According to the information appearing in the Inmate Locator for this person, his hearing has been rescheduled for April 2009. So their data is not always “real” and therefore leads me to state “approximate”.

According to the Monthly Population and Capacity Report as of  02-28-09 published by CDOC, Fremont Correctional Facility has an OPERATIONAL CAPACITY of 1,661. *Operational capacity includes all beds available for use, including management control units, but excludes emergency double bunking. On Grounds Population was 1,629, Off Grounds Population of 13. Therefore the total population is 1,642 inmates considered to be housed at Fremont Correctional Facility.

If any of you are like me, the following information/numbers will initially put you in “shock and awe”, then the question arises “How do they get away with this?” What I couldn’t help but ask myself are the following about CDOC and the Parole Board:

• Why is CDOC constantly whining they are running out of space and money? Isn’t it obvious the Parole Board and CDOC are not doing what they should be doing…rehabilitating these offenders and paroling them back to the community to become contributing members of society.
• Offenders are not being rehabilitated and paroled, they are being housed as a means of “income”, “insurance and job security for CDOC management, employees and positions on the Parole Board and inmates provide a “nearly free labor pool”. Most only receive $.60 per day for being “employed” by CDOC while incarcerated. 
• Then of course you have the shareholders of Colorado Correctional Industries, Canteen Services and whatever other programs I may not have listed here. I only recently heard Former Governor Owens is a shareholder in Canteen Services. That would help explain his policies while he was governor. He didn’t want anyone released if it could be prevented and the more people incarcerated increased his shareholder stake. Have you noticed how much the prices have risen at the visitor center at FCF in the vending machines?

Remember the total population for FCF, at the end of February 2009 was 1,642. Of those 1,642 inmates, the Parole Board had approximately 52 scheduled (not counting the person discussed above) to be heard on March 2, 2009. That is 3.16 %. Not an outstandingly large percentage for one month of parole board hearing eligibles now is it?  17.3%were TENTATIVELY GRANTED (these are individuals with estimated mandatory release dates-MRD- before September 2009) parole at FCF in March 2009, that is 9 of 52. While 65.4% were DENIED or their next parole hearing date was set out to a new date, that is 34 of 52. While 17.3% had NO DECISION as of 03-24-09, that is 9 of 52. So once the parole board has made decisions on these 10 individuals the number of those granted or denied will change. We can only hope they decide to grant parole rather than to deny it.

Parole Eligible  – person has completed a legislatively mandated percentage of their initial sentence to be eligible to appear before the Parole Board:

No Decision – Since I don’t have the exact definition of this from the Parole Board, I can only surmise from the data and explanations from offenders, this means they have either been “tabled” or been referred for a “full board”. “Full Board” means the offender’s file was referred by the parole board member presiding over the hearing to be reviewed and voted on by the entire board. An offender must receive 4 of 7 yes votes in order to be granted parole.

 ELIGIBLE IN THE YEAR INDICATED

1998           1                1  DENIED PAROLE THIS YEAR

2000         3               3  DENIED

2006        10              1   GRANTED TENTATIVELY BASED ON MRD

                                       8   DENIED (5 “The Act”)

                                       1   NO DECISION as of 03-24-09 (sentenced “The Act”.) 

2007         8               4   DENIED (1 “The Act”.)                                      

                                       3   GRANTED TENTATIVELY BASED ON MRD

                                       1   NO DECISION as of 03-24-09

2008      24               14   DENIED (3 “The Act”)

                                         4    GRANTED TENTATIVELY TO MRD

                                         6   NO DECISION as of 03-24-09

2009       6                   4   DENIED

                                          0  GRANTED

                                          2   NO DECISION as of 03-24-09

In my opinion and it is solely an opinion, I believe the offender that has been appearing before the parole board since 1998 should have been rehabilitated by the programs offered at CDOC. The offender has an estimated MRD (mandatory release date) of 2011. So I ask the question: Do the programs work at CDOC or are they simply there as “eye candy” for the public?