Thread by @RepEngland70

Leigh Gwathney was appointed Chair of Pardons and Paroles in October 2019. The last time I tweeted about this, the numbers were from January 2021 to June 2021. To get a clearer picture of the problem, I requested the numbers from when she was appointed. They are not pretty.

Let’s talk pardons. Here are the numbers from Nov. 2019 to June 2021.

White Applicants? 601 granted, 1565 denied.

Black Applicants? 313 granted, 1792 denied.

Hispanic Applicants? 2 granted, 15 denied.

Of the 916 pardons that were given 65% of them went to White Applicants

Now on to Paroles. These numbers are also from Nov. 2019 to June 2021.

White Applicants? 751 granted, 2197 denied.

Black Applicants? 349 granted, 2580 denied.

Hispanic Applicants? 4 granted, 23 denied.

Of the 1104 Paroles granted, 68% of them went to White applicants.

I want to take this opportunity to remind you that the decision of whether or not to grant a pardon or parole is purely discretionary and also completely subjective. The members can do whatever they want. To that end, applicants generally have no idea what it takes to get relief.

Furthermore, this board’s completely subjective standards have not only created a substantial racial disparity in paroles but also pardons as well. You don’t have to take my word for it. Look at the numbers. The fact that the disparity exists in both is not a bug, it’s a feature.

And as I have said before, after denying them, she sets the next hearing as far off as possible. She will even BREAK THE LAW to deny applicants an opportunity for rehearing for as long as possible. The law is clear. She just breaks it to keep people in longer.

The Board’s new set date cannot be more than 2 years following denial for applicants serving sentences of 20 years or less for nonviolent offenses or 5 years following denial for all other applicants. Despite that, the chair often sets them all for 5 years anyway.

Overall, under Gwathney, the approval rates for both pardons and paroles are at an all time low. Just take a look at pardons. For an entire decade, between 70 and 80% of all pardons were granted. Once Leigh Gwanthey arrived, it dropped to 41%. In 2021, they are currently at 29%.

The sad reality is that this is taking all hope from the system. Applicants that have done everything asked of them, have an exemplary record of behavior, a strong support system at home, and people recommending release, are often denied for things they can’t control or change.

We cannot continue like this. Since Leigh Gwathney was appointed, the board has had substantially fewer pardon and parole hearings, granted even less, often ignores the recommendations from the guidelines, and White applicants are twice as likely to get pardoned or paroled.

There is also a backlog of thousands of pardons and paroles waiting on hearings. There are people that have been waiting years just to get a hearing. Those folks waiting on pardons are missing elections because they can’t vote and losing job opportunities because they need relief

I know I say this all of the time but new buildings alone will not fix this. We should focus on getting rid of Habitual Offender, making parole recommendations presumptive, creating an additional parole board, and creating an entirely different process for pardons.

We are continuing to request information from the Board. As we receive it, we will make it public. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. You having the information helps hold them accountable.

What I hope is becoming as clear to you as it is to me is that Leigh Gwathney must go. She has almost single-handedly destroyed all of the progress we have made over the last few years. We can not make this work as long as she is in the way. #ImpeachLeighGwathney #alpolitics