Opinion | Reappointing Gwathney would be a grave mistake for Alabama justice

Parole is not a favor. It’s not a loophole or a luxury. It is a vital, constitutionally authorized function of Alabama’s criminal justice system—no less important than sentencing, prosecution or incarceration. When properly administered, parole protects public safety, honors victims, encourages rehabilitation, and ensures the system remains just and sustainable.

But under Chair Leigh Gwathney, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles has treated this responsibility like a political inconvenience.

In six years, Gwathney turned what should be a deliberative, legally guided process into a bureaucratic blockade—where second chances are routinely denied, risk assessments are ignored, and lawmakers are stonewalled when they ask basic questions…

Story continues

TRENDING NOW

LATEST LOCAL NEWS