Asst. police chief: 'What they're doing right now isn't working' regarding parole board


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MURRAY — A flood or fire at the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole's Murray offices would wipe out thousands of inmate files and leave behind little or no hope of replicating them. The organization operates with a floor-to-ceiling paper file system and push carts that move manila folders from desk to desk.

Legislative audit finds problems

That's one of a long list of problems a recent Utah legislative audit pointed to at the agency that decides which prison inmates will be granted parole.

A wave of high-profile crimes, including police officers killed by parolees, has drawn attention to the board and how it operates. There are approximately 40 employees, but ultimately five members of the parole board decide which prisoners are ready to return to Utah communities under the supervision of a parole agent.

The audit found the parole board's pen and paper method, handwritten notes, inmate assessment document, and lack of a computerized system to warehouse inmate data, to be archaic, inefficient, and vulnerable to errors. It also pointed out there is no way for the public or the agency to understand the parole board's impact on the criminal justice system. Without an automated system in place, there is no reliable way to analyze inmate information.

Administrative Coordinator for the agency, Greg Johnson, assured KSL the board is looking into options and should have a plan in place this fall.

"We do have computers here, we don't have our own computer data system," he said.

Johnson explained that the five-member board is very aware that its decisions impact the public's safety.

"The board takes that responsibility very seriously," he added.

Law Enforcement loses confidence in parole board

But in Eastern Utah, Vernal's assistant chief of police, Keith Campbell, said law enforcement has lost confidence in the parole board.

"I think that society as a whole, the citizens of Utah, expect and probably demand that something be done," he said.

Campbell was in the thick of a case last fall that brought to light another issue — parolees who don't meet expectations, or commit other crimes while on parole, can be set free even though they've failed the program.

KSL found this has happened 61 times since 2011. The parole board said this is because a parolee's sentence expires before they've met standards and by law they can't extend a sentence.

Parole board's six-figure compensation

But for its seemingly old-fashioned internal operations, parole board paychecks appear to be in line with 2016 salaries.

A KSL records requests reveals that, on average, the 5 members of the parole board earn annual take-home salaries that average about $98,000. With benefits included, their total compensation ranged from approximately $164,000 and $191,000. According to data provided to KSL by the Utah Department of Workforce Services, the parole board salaries are more than double what the average state employee earns.

Many are attorneys who have spent a number of years in the criminal justice system. They are appointed by the governor who, by statute, sets their pay based on a formula.

The governor's office told KSL it has allocated more funding to address problems brought to light by the audit and to automate the board's current paper file system.

For veteran law enforcement officers like Campbell, the jury is still out.

"What they're doing right now isn't working."

Contributing: Geoff Liesik and Emiley Dewey

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