I had a cell mate who took a plea bargain of 7 years to life in 1977. “The matrix” available at the time said he’d be paroled in 14 years if he stayed out of trouble. So he took the deal and he stayed out of trouble. 43 years later, he’s still in prison.
I’m not an expert in this, but my understanding is that people took these indeterminate plea bargains in the 1970’s because the parole board really did let people go home. But then policy changed in the 80’s and folks got stuck behind their plea bargains.
I think it was around that time that the parole board officially ceased focusing on release into the community and became an instrument designed to keep people inside, no matter what. I believe it even changed its name (I’ve tried Googling it but can’t find a history of this).
Does anyone remember what the Board Of Parole Hearings used to be called in California? I feel like it used to have a name that even sounded like it was geared toward rehabilitation.
For the record, I’m saying “I think” and “I believe” a lot because I’m just going off my memory of conversations with folks in prison, conversations that are now more than a decade old.
Please feel free to add whatever knowledge you have on the subject to the conversation - I feel like we’re really lacking public information about how the parole board changed its focus over the years.
Perhaps others can confirm this for me - but I seem to remember my cellie telling me that he also had a set parole date, even though his sentence was 7 years to life. CDCR took that parole date from him sometime in the 80's - signaling the shift in their approach to lifers.
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