Re: “,” April 6 guest commentary.
As a retired parole officer, I was appalled at the guest commentary by B.J. Nikkel and Rep. Pete Lee.
The most glaring statement was that the number of parolees returned to prison on a technical violation is down, implying that the current system is working. The technical violations are down because parole officers are prohibited by two bureaucrats — state parole director Melissa Roberts and deputy director Alison Morgan — from bringing the offenders before the board. There are fewer parolees returned to prison because they were never brought before the board.
This playing with numbers is astounding. The statistics that new felonies are down falsely represent the fact that there is no database of all parolees with new offenses. The authors are cherry-picking numbers. They are only looking at Colorado parolees returned to Colorado prisons within a very short time. There are no statistics of Colorado parolees committing crimes in other states and their incarceration there.
And if the return date is three years and a day, the offender is ignored in these fairy tale statistics.
The real number they are hiding is the number of offenders in county jails, which they don’t count at all. Crimes such as DUI, misdemeanor assaults including domestic violence, shoplifting, check-writing, etc., are ignored in this pack of statistical lies.
Technical parole violations are not harmless. When a parolee uses drugs, and then either misses his drug screen or fails to report, this tells the officer that the parolee is resuming criminal behavior. Taking a parolee back to prison for a technical violation is the best preventive measure that can be done. Otherwise, it is just a matter of time before the offender graduates to a more serious offense.
I used to summons many parolees before the board on a technical violation. I would tell them that they have an opportunity to straighten up (30 days). If their behavior was corrected, I would recommend parole be continued. If they continued to violate the rules, I told them they were making the recommendation for revocation themselves. Technical violations can be used as a motivation tool.
Not allowing parole officers to judge risk is a waste of both talent and money. First, I knew my offenders, as I saw them frequently. I went to their houses and talked with their families. I knew them better than any supervisor or bureaucrat who only sees paperwork. Second, it is a waste of money because we taxpayers are paying the salaries of the officers who manage these offenders. By handcuffing the officers, you are wasting taxpayer money.
Artificially limiting technical parole violations guarantees future criminal behavior.
Mike Ward is a retired Colorado parole officer.
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