Fall 2022 & Winter 2023
in the Parole Process
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eligible offenders and public safety.
The State Board of Pardons and Paroles engages stakeholders to enhance public safety.
Stakeholders include the public, our communities
and the offenders.
Yes it’s true, of course. The parole eligible inmate
is a key stakeholder and that’s why the Parole
Board actively engages the offender population
and did so during the fall of 2022. Parole Board
Chairman Terry Barnard, Board Member Meg Heap
and Executive Director Chris Barnett joined
clemency and field services staff by engaging
offenders inside Georgia Prisons.
“Every opportunity we have to engage offenders is
an opportunity to ensure they understand what it
means to be ‘parole ready,’” stated Chairman
Barnard.
Offenders are also interviewed by parole staff
upon entering the Georgia Department of
Corrections.
Groups that represent the offender are also
stakeholders.
Executive Director Chris Barnett, Crystal Moon,
Director of the Clemency Division, and clemency
staff participated in both the Fall 2022 and the
Winter 2023 training meetings of the Georgia
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL).
Parole staff provided assistance and answered
questions the lawyers had regarding the parole
process and specific cases.
"Engaging the GACDL members affords the Parole
Board the opportunity to ensure our voting
members have access to all available offender
information. There are many attorneys not
knowledgeable of the parole process and GACDL's
meetings are an excellent way to engage, educate,
and encourage active participation in the parole
process,” states Barnett.
Parole leadership staff have also engaged the
Georgia Justice Project, another stakeholder in
Georgia's clemency process.
Discussions with the Georgia Justice Project
centered around how the Parole Board's Pardon
and Restoration of Rights process can best benefit