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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 29, 2021 10:37 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Mike Regan |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Parole Board Review of Child Abuse Offenders |
| The adoptive parents of young children that were abused by their biological mother recently came to me with a concern about how the Pennsylvania Parole Board makes parole decisions for offenders of child abuse. Specifically, the concern of these caring parents is that, of a board of nine members, only two decided to allow this abusive mother to go free after just 6.5 years of a sentence that carried a maximum of 30.5 years. Currently, Title 61, Section 6113, allows for panel decisions, and a panel can consist of one board member and one hearing examiner or two board members. Further, the Board has established a four-tiered system for determining the types of cases that can be reviewed by a hearing examiner alone, by a panel, or by the full board. The top tier, requiring a majority vote of the board, is reserved for cases involving murder, homicide by vehicle, sex offenses, and involuntary/voluntary manslaughter. The second tier covers any other violent crimes, which was the case for the abusive mother. The violent abuse that her children endured is horrendous and unfathomable. One child in particular suffered the brunt of her hatred – being restrained, bitten, and maimed – and a sibling was forced to participate in the abuse, which has resulted in long-term mental health issues. While the adoptive parents are striving to provide a safe, loving home for these children who years after the abuse are still recovering, a layer of stress was added when not only the mother was able to seek parole but it was granted by only two members of the board. The parents felt helpless as they started to imagine life with this violent mother outside of prison – and how they could continue to keep their children safe. With this in mind, I am proposing legislation to amend Title 61 to specifically designate that cases involving child abuse, as defined in Title 23, Section 6303(b.1), must be decided by a majority vote of the Pennsylvania Parole Board. The goal of this is to ensure a thorough review from multiple perspectives and to recognize that such child abuse is not to be taken lightly. Abused children and their adoptive or foster parents deserve to have the confidence that concerns for safety are a top priority and are being heard by more than just two members of the board. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation to protect such vulnerable children in the future. |