Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, stands on the floor of the Alabama Senate on April 23, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Stewart reminded members of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles Tuesday about ongoing questions the legislators had about the parole process. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles Tuesday got a reminder of the fallout from last week’s Joint Prison Oversight Committee meeting.
Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma, took the final moments of the meeting of the Alabama Re-Entry Commission to remind members of the Parole Board in attendance about the verbal commitment they made to his colleagues to answer questions about the parole process and potential disparities in it.
“This is my first time being this close to the Parole Board, and I just want to commend you for your service to the state,” Stewart said. “But I also wanted to say that I hope you are responding to my colleagues’ inquiries that have been unanswered, as well as the parole grant rate, the dramatic decline, as well as allegedly not following your own guidelines.”