In FY15, 1,982 pardon and restoration of rights applications were received and 481 were granted (all types). This equates to an increase of 418 applications received and a reduction of 670 granted over FY14 totals.
Pardon Administration Unit FY15 Productivity
Applications received (all types) - 1,982
Pardons granted without firearms being restored - 125
Pardons granted with firearms being restored - 249
Restorations of civil and political rights - 93
Restorations of civil and political rights with firearms restored - 14
Total applications granted - 481. (Grants include applications filed in previous years.)
Criminal Investigators
In January 2015, the Parole Board made changes to the method that restoration of firearm rights and special/lifer investigations are conducted. Unlike other field investigations, these require a face-to-face interview with an ex-offender or incarcerated offender. The rationale for this decision is based on the belief that POST certified staff who are experienced in interacting with offenders will be able to extract pertinent information through interrogation techniques. The agency has placed five criminal investigators into these positions. They are responsible for conducting restoration of firearm rights and special/lifer investigations within designated areas of the state.
Parole Investigators
Fifty-eight parole investigators work in the Clemency Division. Fifty-one parole investigators are assigned to the field and predominantly complete criminal background reports for all offenders who are being considered for parole. Eight parole investigators are assigned to work within the prisons to conduct personal history statements on inmates during the diagnostic process. In FY15, parole investigators and criminal investigators completed 34,516 investigations for the Parole
Board.
Document Imaging
The Clemency Division’s scanning and imaging unit imaged 20,066 files in FY 2015.
History
The Board in 2006 implemented
a digital
document management system for the imaging of the Board's closed files. The imaging process is a key part of the larger Clemency Online Navigation System (CONS), and integrates digital images into the division's electronic business model, thereby improving efficiency while preserving historical information needed for informed decision making. It also allows the viewing of electronic forms, such as investigative reports, which can be completed and viewed from any remote location with computer access. By the close of FY12, the agency had completed imaging the files of active serving inmates with the exception of inmates serving life sentences. In FY13, the unit began imaging the files of those offenders on active parole supervision.
This unit also images offender documents that are generated daily, to include correspondence, revocation documents and victim notifications. During FY14, 11,559 files were imaged.
This unit completes the imaging of all paper files and stores documents, making the parole selection and consideration process more efficient.
.
State Board of Pardons and Paroles Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report
Photos: Clemency Criminal Investigators; Clemency Assistant Director Scott Reaves addresses the Parole Board at a monthly meeting; opposite page, staff attend a monthly board meeting
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