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2000 Annual Report |
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Download a pdf version of this report.
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The Honorable Thomas Vilsack
Governor of Iowa
State Capitol
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Dear Governor Vilsack:
On behalf of the members and staff of the Iowa Board of
Parole, I am pleased to submit our Annual Report for State Fiscal Year 2000.
During FY 2000 the Board approved 1,108 work release
applications and 2,824 paroles.
These figures
represent a 3.8 percent increase in work releases and a nine percent drop
in paroles.
FY2000 data show that the Board has worked diligently to protect
the public: of the 5,493 individuals on parole caseloads during the year,
only 484 (8.8 percent) were revoked, of which four (0.7 percent) were for
new forcible felonies. While 26,555 paroles have
been granted since July of 1989, only 109 (0.4 percent) have resulted in
revocation for new forcible felonies.
Consistent with its statutory obligations, the Board
has continued research on recidivism during FY2000, the results of which
will be presented in supplementary reports. Most notable, we have been able to
expand on the research begun last year by following former inmates for an
additional year and also by examining out-of-state arrests and
convictions. Among the findings of the recidivism study are that parolees
have lower recidivism rates than those who expire their sentences, and
that misdemeanants tend to have higher recidivism rates than
felons.
During the past year the Board
of Parole continued its efforts to use technology to assist in its efforts
to protect the public and respond to the needs of victims. With its
innovative use of the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), the Board has
been able to dramatically increase efficiency in considering parole while
also considering the wishes of registered victims. The ICN has
been of great assistance in our effort to safely control the size of the
prison population. The ICN also allows us to conduct
revocation hearings and offer public education throughout Iowa without
leaving our own conference room.
We have
also continued an experimental project in the Sixth Judicial District,
using the Administrative Parole Judge to conduct probation revocation
hearings, thus reducing the workload of criminal court judges and
increasing consistency in revocation proceedings. Use of this
project increased dramatically this year, as hearings increased from 74 to
258. We
anticipate increased judicial efficiency as this practice continues.
Respectfully submitted,
Charles W. Larson
Chairperson
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. HIGHLIGHTS. 3
II. MISSION STATEMENT.. 5
III. AGENCY OVERVIEW... 6
IV. BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES. 9
Table 1. Performance Summary, FY99 &
FY2000. 12
Table 2. Parole and Work Release Grants,
FY92-FY2000. 13
Table 3. Decisions by Offense Class,
FY2000. 14
Table 4. Paroles and Expirations, by Offense
Class and type, FY2000. 16
TABLE 5. EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY, FY2000. 17
V. IOWA COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK.. 18
Table 6. Mileage Saved by ICN.. 21
Table 7. ICN Hearings, Interviews, and Costs, by
Fiscal Year. 22
VI. PRISON POPULATION.. 23
TABLE 8. PRISON POPULATION BY OFFENSE
TYPE. 23
Table 9. June 30 Sentence Length of Prison
Population.. 24
TABLE 10. NEW PRISON ADMISSIONS BY OFFENSE
TYPE. 26
TABLE 11. JUNE 30 POPULATION, LIFERS, MANDATORY
MINIMUMS. 27
Table 12. Prison Population
Offense Types. 27
Table 13. Risk Levels of Prison Population
6/30/2000, by Offense Class. 31
VII. SIXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT PROBATION
PROJECT.. 32
Table 14. Sixth District Probation Revocation
Project.. 33
VIII. TIME SERVED PRIOR TO PAROLE.. 35
Table 15. Time Served Prior to Parole
Approval. 36
Table 16. Do Consecutive Sentences Affect Time
Served?. 38
IX. PAROLE REVOCATION.. 39
Table 17. Type and Class of Convictions Leading to
Automatic Revocations. 40
TABLE 18. PAROLE REVOCATIONS,
FY85-FY2000. 40
TABLE 19. PAROLE RELEASES AND REVOCATIONS,
FY2000. 42
TABLE 20. PAROLE RELEASES AND REVOCATIONS 7/1/89 -
6/30/2000. 43
X. VICTIM SERVICES. 44
Table 21. FY 2000 Financial Report.. 46
APPENDIX I. Decisions by Offense Class and Risk,
FY2000 47
APPENDIX II. Decisions by Risk, FY2000. 48
I.
HIGHLIGHTS
·
The Board's final vacancy was filled in the fall of 1999
with the addition of Rev. Rogers Kirk, Jr. Clarence Key, Jr., was also appointed
new Executive Director of the Board in November, 1999.
·
The Board in FY2000 approved 1,108 work release applications
and 2,854 paroles. Of the 5,493 individuals on parole
caseloads during the year, only 484 were revoked, with four of these
revocations due to new forcible felonies.
·
Of all those paroled since July 1, 1989, only 17.2 percent
have been revoked from parole. Less than half of one percent have been
revoked for committing new forcible felonies.
·
In FY2000 the Board continued its innovative use of the Iowa
Communications Network, which enables the board to maximize productive use
of its time and permit interested parties the opportunity to view parole
hearings without extensive travel. The Board continued extensive use of the
ICN in conducting hearings in FY2000, and the families of victims and
inmates also attended hearings via the ICN. The ICN was also used as an educational
tool for high school students, permitting them to view Board hearings and
question members and staff about their activities.
·
The Board continued to expand its list of registered
victims, ensuring that victims are notified of parole, work release, and
revocation hearings, and providing them the opportunity for input in the
deliberative process.
·
The Board continued an experiment in the Sixth Judicial
District, using the Senior Administrative Parole Judge for probation
revocation hearings in which the original sentence was a suspended prison
sentence, thereby providing additional consistency in these
proceedings.
The legality of using administrative judges to handle probation
revocations was upheld in a Linn County District Court ruling in
September, 1999.
·
The Board continued its use of risk assessment in granting
or denying work release or parole. This tool has enabled the Board to
better protect the public while not delaying release for inmates who are
good risks.
·
The board continued using the Violator Program as an
intermediate sanction for parolees and work releases who need additional
supervision but who do not need to be revoked. The existence
of this program helps to individualize treatment and supervision regimens
and provide a wider range of alternatives for those having difficulty on
parole or work release.
Objectives:
·
Comprehensive and efficient consideration for parole
and work release of offenders committed to the Department of
Corrections.
·
Expeditious revocation of paroles of persons who
violate release conditions.
·
Careful consideration of victim opinions concerning
the release of offenders and prompt notification to victims of Board of
Parole release decisions.
·
Quality advice to the Governor in matters relating to
executive clemency.
·
Timely research and analysis of issues critical to the
performance of the Board of Parole.
III.
AGENCY
OVERVIEW
The
Iowa Board of Parole consists of five members appointed by the
Governor.
The chairperson and vice-chair are full-time salaried members of
the Board.
Three members are on a per diem basis and all five members serve
staggered, four-year terms.
Iowa
law states that the membership of the Board must be of good character and
judicious background, must include a member of a minority group, may
include a person ordained or designated a regular leader of a religious
community and who is knowledgeable in correctional procedures and issues,
and must meet at least two of the following three requirements:
1) contain one member who is a disinterested
layperson;
2) contain one member who is an attorney licensed to
practice law in this state and who is knowledgeable in correctional
procedures and issues;
3) contain one member who is a person holding at least
a master's degree in social work or counseling and guidance and who is
knowledgeable in correctional procedures and issues.
BOARD OF PAROLE
MEMBERSHIP
CHARLES W.
LARSON, Chairperson, Cedar Rapids. Larson was appointed to the Board of
Parole in May, 1998, after serving as Iowa's Drug Policy Coordinator since
1993.
This is his second term with the Board of Parole. Larson also
served for seven years as United States Attorney for the Northern District
of Iowa.
From 1979 to 1982 he served in Saudi Arabia as a consultant to the
Kingdom's Highway Patrol Project. From 1973 to 1979 he served as Iowa's
Commissioner of Public Safety. Larson retired as a colonel from the
Active Army Reserves.
ELIZABETH
ROBINSON-FORD, Vice Chairperson, Davenport. Robinson-Ford
was appointed to the Board in November, 1994, and appointed
Vice-Chairperson in 1999. She was also recently appointed to serve
on the Iowa Prisoner Minority Over-Representation Task Force. Robinson-Ford
has worked for the City of Shreveport, Louisiana, as an Administrative
Assistant and Records Specialist for the Police Department. She is a
member of the Minority Chamber of Commerce, the Iowa Invests Mentor
Program, the Juvenile Justice Committee, Big Sisters, and United Way. She has an
Associate Degree in Applied Sciences from Southern University at
Shreveport and an Associate Degree in Business Administration/Accounting
from Commercial Business College in Alexandria, Louisiana. She retired as
Administrative Assistant with the Scott County Decategorization Program in
1999.
CURTIS S.
JENKINS, West Des Moines. Jenkins was appointed to the Board of
Parole by Governor Terry Branstad in 1997. Jenkins has BS from Southern Illinois
University.
He is the Business Manager of the Corinthian Baptist Church, Member
of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Des Moines Alumni, and is President of
KAPSI Foundation. Jenkins served in the United States Air
Force.
His volunteer work includes Internal Audit Committee and Tax Return
Preparation for the Corinthian Baptist Church; he is an on-call Consultant
for Mid-City Business Center; Speaker, Panel of Americans, NCCJ; and
Speaker on Diversity.
KAREN KAPLAN
MUELHAUPT, Des Moines. Governor Thomas Vilsack appointed
Muelhaupt to the Board of Parole in 1999. She received her BA degree from Drake
University in 1988. She worked for the Department of
Corrections as a Pre-sentence investigator from 1975-1985. In 1985, she
was hired as a rape counselor with Polk County Victim Services. She co-created
one of the Nation's first Homicide Crisis Response teams, and in 1997 was
the recipient of the Presidential Crime Victims award. She retired in
1998.
Muelhaupt is a licensed Social Worker.
ROGERS KIRK,
JR., Davenport. Kirk was appointed to the Board in
November, 1999.
For the past four years he has been the Pastor of the Third
Missionary Baptist Church of Davenport. Pastor Kirk is President of the Iowa
Congress of Christian Education, Dean of the Eastern District Association,
Instructor in the National Congress of Christian Education, and Instructor
at the American Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also
past-president of the NAACP Metro-Com Branch, Quad City Interfaith and
serves on many state and local boards. Pastor Kirk attended Northeast Louisiana
University and has served parishes in Monroe and Ruston,
Louisiana.
BOARD
STAFF
Clarence Key,
Jr., Executive Director. The Board of Parole selected Clarence Key, Jr., as its
Executive Director in November, 1999. Key has a BA degree in Criminal Justice
from Simpson College and has worked in state government for over twenty
years.
Mr. Key has served as a probation officer for the 5th Judicial
District Department of Correctional Services, as an Assistant for
Corrections (Prison Ombudsman) for the Citizen's Aide Ombudsman, and as a
Justice Systems Analyst for the Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Planning.
Key also currently serves as an executive board member of the Des
Moines Branch of the NAACP and has been president of the Iowa Corrections
Association (1993-1994).
Richard E. George, Administrative Law Judge
James C. Twedt, Senior Administrative Parole/Probation
Judge
Jerry Menadue, Liaison Officer
Heather Hackbarth, Statistical Research Analyst
Karen Myers, Executive Officer
Lori Myers, Case Coordinator and Liaison Officer
Diane Jay, Victim Coordinator
Jo McGrane, Administrative Secretary
Carol Edmonston, Clerk
Virginia Shannon, Clerk
Michelle Carlson, Clerk Specialist
Theresa Brauer, Clerk Specialist
Paul Stageberg, Ph.D., Report Consultant
The Board wishes to extent its appreciation to Paul
Stageberg, Ph.D., for his assistance in analysis of data and preparation
of this report.
This project was supported by grant number 00C2-1989,
awarded by the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP). Points of view
in this document do not necessarily represent the official position or
policies of either ODCP or the U.S. Department of Justice.
IV.
BOARD
RESPONSIBILITIES
Inmate Reviews and Interviews. By law, the
Board systematically reviews the status of each person committed to the
custody of the Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections and
considers the person's prospects for parole or work release. The Board
reviews at least annually the status of persons other than Class A felons,
Class B felons serving time under the 85% law or felons serving mandatory
minimum sentences. The Board also provides the person
written notice of its parole or work release decision.
Not
less than twenty days prior to conducting a hearing at which the Board
interviews the person, the Board notifies the Department of Corrections
regarding the interview schedule. The Department then makes the person
available to the Board at the person's institutional residence.
Risk
Assessment. The Board has used offender risk
assessment since March, 1981. Its use has enabled the Board to
increase paroles while maintaining a high degree of public safety. An offender is
rated on a scale from one to nine.
Victim
Notification. The Board notifies registered victims of
violent crimes of upcoming interviews with identified offenders and of
decisions made at those interviews. The victim or appointed counsel has the
right to attend the interviews and testify. In addition, all written communications
from victims become a permanent part of offenders' files.
Parole. The Board is empowered to grant,
rescind, and revoke parole, as well as discharge offenders from
parole.
The Board decides the conditions of parole, which may be added to
by the supervising Judicial District. In order to be granted parole, those
receiving a parole risk score of one through six require three affirmative
votes from the Board; a risk score of seven or eight requires four votes;
and a risk score of nine requires all five votes.
Work
Release.
The Board is empowered to grant or rescind work release. Work release
periods are approximately six months, but may be adjusted through Board
action.
Review of Parole
and Work Release Programs. The Board is required to review parole
and work release programs being instituted or considered nationwide and
determine which programs may be useful for Iowa. Each year the
Board also reviews current parole and work release programs and procedures
used in the State of Iowa.
Release
Studies.
The Board is required to conduct studies of the parole and work
release system as requested by the Governor and the General Assembly.
Review of Computer
System.
The Board is required to increase utilization of data processing
and computerization to assist in the orderly operation of the parole and
work release system.
BOARD
WORKLOAD
The information contained in
this section provides a statistical summary of the Board's workload for
FY2000.
As the tables and charts on the following pages indicate, the Board
conducted a total of 9,526 release deliberations. These
deliberations resulted in the Board's granting 2,824 paroles and 1,108
work releases.
The majority of parole and work release grants were derived from
case reviews rather than inmate interviews.
In FY2000 the Board continued
taking particular care in paroling inmates convicted of crimes against
persons.
While 29.2 percent of the 8,524 deliberations involving felons
resulted in paroles, only 11.6 percent of those involving felonies against
persons resulted in paroles. Those convicted of crimes against
persons were also less likely to be granted work release.
Parole
revocation hearings totaled 618 in FY2000, compared to 543 in FY99. Of the total
hearings, 478 resulted in revocation of parole. One hundred
thirty-five of these (or 27.9 percent) were automatic revocations due to
new convictions for felonies or aggravated misdemeanors.
On occasion the Board may
rescind a grant of parole or work release due to inmate misbehavior,
failure to follow through in development of a parole or work release plan,
or at an inmate's request. In FY2000 there were 160 parole
rescissions, with 25 of these resulting from inmate refusal of
parole.
There were also 90 work release rescissions, with 33 of these due
to inmate refusal.
Reviews of applications for
restoration of citizenship totaled 558, with 422 (75.6 percent)
recommended to the Governor. Both these figures were down somewhat
from FY99, when there were 578 reviews and 504 (87.2 percent)
recommendations.
The
Board reviewed 29 appeals from inmates requesting reconsideration of prior
decisions resulting from revocation hearings. Also, the
number of offenders receiving simultaneous parole and discharge totaled
104.
These offenders are typically within 30 days of the end of their
sentences, have had no recent disciplinary reports, are usually
misdemeanants with low risk assessment scores, and are not serving
sentences for felony sex offenses. The Board has concluded that the short
period remaining until expiration of sentence is insufficient for parole
officers to verify parole plans or commence supervision.
While figures suggest
significant decreases in activity involving executive clemency in FY2000,
a change in the Board's computer system may have resulted in some of the
drop.
Note that figures shown here for FY99 were developed on the new
computer system; they differ from those in the FY99 Annual Report.
The research division completed
2,430 offender risk assessments in FY2000, compared to 2,909 in FY99. As shown in
the appendix, the Board makes consistent use of these assessments in
determining whether to approve or deny parole or place inmates on work
release.
Also, the victim coordinator
reviewed 564 victim requests and mailed 2,102 notices to registered
victims. Both these figures were up from FY99 (369 requests and 1,767
notices). The total number of registered victims at the end of FY2000 was
3,329, compared to 2,854 in FY99.
In
accordance with Section 906.4 of the Code of
Iowa, the Board collected information from the Judicial District
Departments of Correctional Services on the number of hours of community
service completed by probationers, work releases, and parolees. In FY2000 it
was reported that these clients completed 130,010 hours of community
service. The number of hours completed ranged
from 400 in the Fourth District to 65,714 in the Seventh.
The
table and graphs on the following pages show the workload of the Board and
staff members for FY 1999
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FY1999 |
FY2000 |
% change |
RELEASE
DELIBERATIONS: |
|
10,006 |
9,508 |
-5.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
INMATE
INTERVIEWS |
|
1,609 |
1,450 |
-9.9% |
|
Paroles
Granted |
754 |
535 |
-29.0% |
|
Work Release
Granted |
313 |
359 |
14.7% |
CASE REVIEWS |
|
8,397 |
8,058 |
-4.0% |
|
Paroles
Granted |
2,532 |
2,290 |
-9.6% |
|
Work Release
Granted |
582 |
748 |
28.5% |
|
|
|
|
|
REVOCATIONS/RESCISSIONS: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PAROLE REVOCATION
HEARINGS |
|
543 |
618 |
13.8% |
|
Parole
Revocations |
373 |
484 |
29.8% |
|
Automatic
Revocations |
84 |
135 |
60.7% |
PAROLE RESCISSION
REVIEWS |
|
156 |
161 |
3.2% |
|
Paroles
Rescinded |
156 |
161 |
3.2% |
WORK RELEASE
RESCISSION REVIEWS |
|
101 |
90 |
-10.9% |
|
Work Releases
Rescinded |
101 |
90 |
-10.9% |
REVOCATION
APPEALS |
|
13 |
29 |
123.1% |
|
Affirmed |
10 |
20 |
100.0% |
|
Amended |
3 |
9 |
200.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
EXECUTIVE
CLEMENCY REQUESTS: |
|
231 |
164 |
-29.0% |
|
Granted |
133 |
47 |
-64.7% |
|
Denied |
128 |
36 |
-71.9% |
LIFER
INTERVIEWS |
|
0 |
1 |
-- |
|
Commutations
Recommended |
0 |
0 |
-- |
PARDON
REVIEWS |
|
29 |
32 |
10.3% |
|
Pardons
Recommended |
17 |
8 |
-52.9% |
RESTORATION OF
CITIZENSHIP REVIEWS |
|
578 |
465 |
-19.6% |
|
Restorations
Recommended |
524 |
397 |
-24.2% |
|
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|
|
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OTHER
REVIEWS: |
|
|
|
|
Inmate Board
Decision Appeals |
|
43 |
29 |
-32.6% |
Parole to
Discharge |
|
339 |
104 |
-69.3% |
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OTHER BOARD
WORK: |
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|
Risk Assessments
Completed |
|
2,909 |
2,430 |
-16.5% |
Registered
Victims, Yearend |
|
2,854 |
3,329 |
16.6% |
Victim
Registration Requests |
|
369 |
564 |
52.8% |
Victim Notices
Mailed |
|
1,767 |
2,102 |
19.0% |
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|
Year |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
%
Change |
Parole
Grants |
2,208 |
2,301 |
2,417 |
2,425 |
2,436 |
2,449 |
2,599 |
3,114 |
2,824 |
27.9% |
Work Release
Grants |
768 |
895 |
914 |
939 |
967 |
879 |
1,094 |
1,067 |
1,108 |
44.3% |
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Offense Class |
N |
% |
N |
% |
N |
% |
N |
% |
Compact Felony not person |
0 |
0.0% |
0 |
0.0% |
4 |
50.0% |
4 |
0.0% |
Compact Felony Total |
0 |
0.0% |
0 |
0.0% |
4 |
50.0% |
4 |
0.0% |
Other Felony not person |
18 |
29.5% |
13 |
12.5% |
30 |
33.0% |
61 |
0.6% |
Other Felony Total |
18 |
27.7% |
13 |
11.6% |
34 |
34.3% |
65 |
0.7% |
Habitual vs. person |
13 |
28.3% |
6 |
7.6% |
27 |
37.0% |
46 |
0.5% |
Habitual not person |
45 |
23.4% |
30 |
8.8% |
117 |
37.9% |
192 |
2.0% |
Habitual Total |
58 |
24.4% |
36 |
8.6% |
144 |
37.7% |
238 |
2.5% |
A Felony |
0 |
0.0% |
0 |
0.0% |
4 |
50.0% |
4 |
0.0% |
B Felony vs. person |
65 |
6.3% |
66 |
3.3% |
905 |
46.6% |
1,036 |
10.9% |
B Felony not person |
20 |
19.2% |
9 |
4.8% |
75 |
41.9% |
104 |
1.1% |
B Felony Total |
85 |
7.5% |
75 |
3.4% |
980 |
46.2% |
1,140 |
12.0% |
C Felony vs. person |
175 |
14.9% |
110 |
5.0% |
893 |
43.1% |
1,178 |
12.4% |
C Felony not person |
656 |
33.1% |
300 |
9.1% |
1,026 |
34.1% |
1,982 |
20.8% |
C Felony Total |
831 |
26.3% |
410 |
7.5% |
1,919 |
37.8% |
3,160 |
33.2% |
D Felony vs. person |
71 |
13.5% |
45 |
4.6% |
408 |
43.8% |
524 |
5.5% |
D Felony not person |
1,425 |
42.1% |
457 |
8.5% |
1,504 |
30.8% |
3,386 |
35.6% |
D Felony Total |
1,496 |
38.3% |
502 |
7.9% |
1,912 |
32.8% |
3,910 |
41.1% |
Old Code vs. person |
1 |
14.3% |
0 |
0.0% |
6 |
46.2% |
7 |
0.1% |
Old Code not person |
0 |
-- |
0 |
-- |
0 |
-- |
0 |
0.0% |
Old Code Total |
1 |
14.3% |
0 |
0.0% |
6 |
46.2% |
7 |
0.1% |
Total Felonies vs. person |
325 |
11.6% |
227 |
4.3% |
2,243 |
44.5% |
2,795 |
29.4% |
Total Felonies not person |
2,164 |
37.8% |
809 |
8.7% |
2,756 |
32.5% |
5,729 |
60.3% |
Total Felonies |
2,489 |
29.2% |
1,036 |
7.1% |
4,999 |
37.0% |
8,524 |
89.7% |
Agg. Misd. vs. person |
52 |
16.0% |
18 |
3.0% |
254 |
43.9% |
324 |
3.4% |
Agg. Misd. not person |
271 |
44.1% |
47 |
4.9% |
296 |
32.5% |
614 |
6.5% |
Agg. Misdemeanor Total |
323 |
34.4% |
65 |
4.2% |
550 |
37.0% |
938 |
9.9% |
Serious Misd. vs. person |
3 |
14.3% |
2 |
5.1% |
16 |
43.2% |
21 |
0.2% |
Ser. Misd. Not person |
9 |
36.0% |
5 |
12.2% |
11 |
30.6% |
25 |
0.3% |
Serious Misdemeanor Total |
12 |
26.1% |
7 |
8.8% |
27 |
37.0% |
46 |
0.5% |
Total Misd. vs. person |
55 |
15.9% |
20 |
3.1% |
270 |
43.9% |
345 |
3.6% |
Total Misd. Not person |
280 |
43.8% |
52 |
5.2% |
307 |
32.5% |
639 |
6.7% |
Total Misdemeanors |
335 |
34.0% |
72 |
4.4% |
577 |
37.0% |
984 |
10.3% |
All Crimes vs. person |
380 |
12.1% |
247 |
4.2% |
2,513 |
44.5% |
3,140 |
33.0% |
All Crimes not person |
2,444 |
38.4% |
861 |
8.4% |
3,063 |
32.5% |
6,368 |
67.0% |
Total All Crimes |
2,824 |
29.7% |
1,108 |
6.8% |
5,576 |
37.0% |
9,508 |
100.0% |
Note: Parole release, work release, and denied column
percentages add up horizontally. Total
column percentages add up
vertically.
As is suggested in the chart above, expiration of
sentence has played an increasing role as a means of exit from Iowa's
prison population. This is due primarily to the Board's
belief that there are certain types of offenders from whom the public must
be protected as long as possible. While the Board supports the concept of
supervision after release from prison, it is thought that maintaining some
offenders as long as possible in a secure environment will contribute to
public safety.
To illustrate the variation among offender types in release
practices, Table 4 is presented below:
Offense Class and Type |
Expirations |
Paroles |
Expir. % |
Total Class B
Felony |
9 |
85 |
9.6% |
Total Class C Felony, Persons |
84 |
175 |
32.4% |
Total Class C Felony, Non-persons |
73 |
656 |
10.0% |
Total Class C
Felony |
157 |
831 |
15.9% |
Total Class D Felony, Persons |
108 |
71 |
60.3% |
Total Class D Felony, Non-persons |
313 |
1,425 |
18.0% |
Total Class D
Felony |
421 |
1,496 |
22.0% |
Habitual Criminal |
|
58 |
0.0% |
Total Other Felonies |
12 |
19 |
38.7% |
Total All Felonies |
599 |
2,489 |
19.4% |
Total Aggravated Misdem., Persons |
135 |
52 |
72.2% |
Total Aggravated Misd, Non-persons |
148 |
272 |
35.2% |
Total Aggravated
Misdemeanor |
283 |
324 |
46.6% |
Total Serious Misdemeanor, Persons |
10 |
3 |
76.9% |
Total Serious Misdem., Non-persons |
11 |
8 |
57.9% |
Total Serious Misdemeanor |
21 |
11 |
65.6% |
Total All Misdemeanors |
304 |
335 |
47.6% |
Grand Total |
903 |
2,824 |
24.2% |
Readers interested in an expanded version of this
table are urged to consult a supplementary report on time served prior to
release, available through the Iowa Board of Parole.
Due to the provisions of Iowa Code chapter 914,
a
person convicted of a criminal offense has the right to make
application for executive clemency to the Governor of Iowa. The Governor
requests that the Board of Parole make a recommendation regarding these
applications. Requests for restoration of
citizenship may also be submitted directly to the Iowa Board of
Parole within sixty days of discharge from supervision. All
applications for commutation, pardons, special restoration of citizenship
(firearms), restoration of citizenship (after Board's sixty day time
frame) must be submitted to the Governor's office, which then forwards the
applications on to the Board for review. Table 5 shows
activity in this area for FY2000. Note that a number of
applications may be pending
at any given time, so the total number of applications shown in the table
may not equal the number of approvals plus denials.
|
Application Type |
Received |
Granted |
Denied |
Commutation |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Pardon |
32 |
8 |
12 |
Special Citizenship (firearms) |
39 |
13 |
14 |
Restoration of Citizenship (Gov.) |
93 |
25 |
10 |
Restoration of Citizenship (Board) |
465 |
397 |
68 |
Federal Restoration of Citizenship |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Total |
630 |
444 |
105 |
On July
14, 1994, the Board began to make use of the new Iowa Communications
Network (ICN) to manage the State's prison population more effectively and
efficiently.
The ICN
is a statewide two-way full motion fiber optic communication network that
uses modern technology to connect points throughout all of Iowa's
ninety-nine counties. This network facilitates a variety of
Board functions including parole interviews, registered victim input, and
parole revocation hearings. Further, the ICN has allowed criminal
justice students and the public to observe actual interviews of inmates
being considered for parole or work release.
Iowa is
the first state in the Nation to use its fiber optics system for monthly
parole interviews. Since its initial use of the system in
July of 1994, the Board experienced few difficulties with the ICN; the
benefits (i.e., cost effectiveness, reduced travel time, and ease of use)
have generated positive reactions from the Board, the media, the public,
and other states. Inmates and family members have also
expressed support for participation in the interview process via the ICN.
With
the completion of its own classroom in October, 1995, the Board greatly
increased its use of the ICN in the parole process. The Board no
longer needs to prepare volumes of inmate files for transport to an ICN
classroom; files are reviewed from the Board's conference room. Thus,
transportation and security concerns regarding inmate files have been
greatly reduced.
Prior to ICN, victims desiring
input were required to travel to a distant institution, were subjected to
a rigorous security check, and were possibly seated in the same room as
the inmate's family and friends. With the creation of the Board's
TeleVictim Program, a registered victim is notified of the intended
release hearing and is directed to an ICN site near the victim's
home. The
victim travels to the local site, provides input, and returns home. The process
often requires a few minutes instead of many hours under the old process.
Further,
the ICN separates victims from inmates, families, and friends and helps
defuse potentially tense situations. The incorporation of the registered
victim input process via the ICN continues to be a model for parole board
interaction with registered victims.
Nine
hundred twenty-three parole and probation revocation hearings have been
conducted via the ICN since July of 1994. Prior to the creation of the ICN, parole
revocation hearings required travel to counties where the alleged parole
violation occurred, which could involve as many as four hours of travel
one-way.
With the advent of ICN, the Parole Judge travels to a nearby ICN
classroom, conducts the hearings, determines violations and appropriate
sanctions, and proceeds to the next case. Probation revocation cases are handled
as part of the pilot project in the Sixth Judicial District. Of the 471 ICN
hearings conducted in FY2000, 178 were probation revocation hearings. Further
information on these will be found in the chapter on the Sixth Judicial
District pilot program.
The existence of the ICN permitted the Board of Parole
to establish its TeleJustice 2000 Education Project in May of 1998 in
cooperation with the Heartland Area Education Association. The three main
objectives of this project are the following:
·
To provide students with information about the criminal
justice system
·
To provide students with information about actual real life
substance abuse problems.
This project places high school
students in the live Parole interview sessions of the Parole Board via the
ICN.
Students view inmates making pleas for freedom and the Board's
reactions as they occur. At the conclusion of sessions the
students can question the Board or the students' in-class attorney
volunteers. This process enables the students also learn about the
characteristics of incarcerated offenders in Iowa and the behaviors that
resulted in their imprisonment. Since May of 1998 the Board has hosted
over 71 high school classes in this project. Use of the ICN
for this purpose has been met with enthusiasm among students, teachers,
and local media.
A portion of one account follows:
When Iowa's senior administrative parole judge James
Twedt wanted to bring convicted felons into a Roland-Story classroom, it
sounded like a good idea as long as the classroom was the district's ICN
room.
Through a relatively new educational outreach
component of the Iowa Parole Board conceived by Twedt, a freshmen [sic]
study hall supervised by English teacher Batista Simpson recently
witnessed live hearings of the Iowa parole board as they interviewed
inmates from Clarinda, a men's correctional facility.
The parole board was at the ICN origination site in
Des Moines, with remote sites at the prison, as well as a few college and
high school classrooms around the state. Each classroom site had a legal
professional present, like Judge Twedt at the Roland-Story site, to answer
student questions and explain the process.
Aside from learning about ways that the justice
system is utilizing the same technology that educational institutions have
been using for some time for distance learning, Twedt also hopes the
experience can serve another purpose of prevention. By showing the
real life consequences of poor decisions, and demonstrating the way these
decisions have affected the inmates' lives, Twedt hopes that at least a
few students may be diverted from following that path
One of the parole board members told the inmate that
the interviews were being witnessed by high school students and asked him
if he had any advice for them in avoiding the position he was currently
in.
Listen to people who care about you,' he said. One of my
biggest mistakes was that I didn't listen to people trying the help
me
'
Aside from the educational benefits of what has
become known as TeleJustice, using the state's fiber optic network for
legal purposes has many advantages. As a parole revocation judge, Twedt was
used to driving all over Iowa to preside over hearings. He estimates
that the use of the ICN to place all parties together without the actual
physical presence has saved him hours each week in travel time. Since the
first ICN parole revocation hearing on July 21, 1994, the Board's two
administrative parole judges have conducted more than 250 hearings over
the fiber optic network.
Because the ICN provides such an easy and inexpensive
way to involve students in the criminal justice system, Twedt plans to
continue providing high school and college students with the opportunity
to witness the process in action.
The Board has also utilized the ICN for a number of
special projects, including statewide meetings of registered victims and
training of parole and probation officers and local public
defenders.
The
Board has long been a proponent of installing ICN video in county
courthouses.
In Fiscal year 1995 the Board received a GASA grant and cooperation
from Scott County to install a compressed video system from the Davenport
Courthouse to the Board's Offices in Des Moines. This prototype
system worked well until equipment malfunctions disabled the system in
February, 1997.
The
Board's TeleJustice 2000 Video Project is a program to install current
video technology in selected Iowa courthouses (Linn County, Polk County,
Scott County and Sioux County) along with the Polk County Jail and Interim
Jail. The
project will also connect selected criminal justice locations to these
facilities.
The most recent step in this
process involved the installation of a video courtroom in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa.
Courtroom 1B in the Linn County Courthouse became Iowa's first
regularly used ICN TeleJustice Video Courtroom. This courtroom
is a state-of-the-art facility with all Sony video equipment and Jefferson
Audio-Video audio equipment. The prime feature of this court is the
video automatically follows voice (i.e. the camera automatically pictures
the person speaking without any direct action on the part of the speaker)
Another feature of this courtroom is the ability to play back video and
audio from one VCR while recording the playback on another VCR.
At the present time, the
TeleJustice Courtroom is used primarily for Parole and Probation
Revocation Hearings. Senior Administrative Parole and
Probation Judge James C. Twedt has conducted approximately 199 hearings
from his Boone Field Office to Video Courtroom 1B in Cedar Rapids. This process
allows Judge Twedt to avoid the 3-hour drive to Cedar Rapids and the
3-hour return trip.
Future
uses of the TeleJustice Courtroom include remote witness testimony, post
conviction hearings from penal institutions, juvenile hearings, and remote
depositions.
Additional future uses include video arraignments,
bond hearings, mental health hearings, training for law enforcement
officials, and domestic abuse and protection orders.
One of the more unusual future
applications for the TeleJustice courtroom is the ability to have
interpreters and sign language professionals available on site with an ICN
connection.
There is a possibility that Veteran and Social Security disability
hearings may utilize this convenient ICN connection in Cedar Rapids.
|
|
|
Board Meetings |
Revocations |
Victims |
Families |
|
Fiscal Year |
Mileage |
Hours |
Mileage |
Hours |
Mileage |
Hours |
Mileage |
Hours |
1995 |
6,444 |
128.9 |
11,590 |
231.8 |
3,306 |
66.1 |
5,344 |
106.9 |
1996 |
6,081 |
121.6 |
22,666 |
453.3 |
1,285 |
25.7 |
5,951 |
119.0 |
1997 |
7,416 |
148.3 |
16,726 |
334.5 |
2,480 |
49.6 |
6,016 |
120.3 |
1998 |
11,608 |
232.2 |
17,682 |
353.6 |
5,317 |
106.3 |
24,746 |
494.9 |
1999 |
10,506 |
210.1 |
17,432 |
348.6 |
3,666 |
73.3 |
15,768 |
315.4 |
2000 |
13,976 |
279.5 |
46,086 |
921.7 |
5,094 |
101.9 |
15,333 |
306.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: hours were calculated as mileage divided by
50.
Mileage for Board meetings and revocations were calculated as the
distance between Des Moines and the institution in which hearings were
held.
Mileage for victims and families was developed by identifying
victims and families who attended ICN hearings, locating their place of
residence, and calculating the distance between there and the site of the
hearing.
The Board plans continued use of
such technological advances as the ICN as it strives to protect the public
from serious crime.
|
|
Fiscal Year |
Hearings |
Interviews |
Costs |
|
|
1995 |
68 |
286 |
$3,385.70 |
|
|
1996 |
84 |
262 |
$7,348.25 |
|
|
1997 |
81 |
314 |
$8,798.00 |
|
|
1998 |
79 |
747 |
$7,883.21 |
|
|
1999 |
140 |
865 |
$10,613.08 |
|
|
2000 |
471 |
999 |
$28.561.22* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*Cost data for FY2000 are estimated, as figures for
May, 2000 were unavailable. Estimated May figures were developed
using prorated figures from the 11-month
totals.
This
section is included because, while boards of parole have some control over
output
from prisons, they have little control over input to
prisons.
Although boards of parole may have some impact on the nature of the
prison population through paroling activity (e.g., through either
hastening or delaying release of certain types of prisoners), by and large
the prison population is a given with which a board must work.
Table 8
shows the make-up of Iowa's prison population on June 30, 2000, dividing
the population into offense classes and persons/non-persons groups. The largest
portion of the population is serving time for Class C and Class D felonies
(ten-year and five-year maximums) which are not against persons. The only other
category of offense accounting for more than ten percent of the population
is Class B felonies against persons (principally robbery in the first
degree).
|
6/30/2000 |
|
NON PERSONS OFFENSES |
PERSONS OFFENSES |
TOTAL
|
OFFENSE CLASS |
N |
% |
N |
% |
N |
% |
Class A Felony |
|
0.0% |
486 |
100.0% |
486 |
6.5% |
Class B Felony |
305 |
23.9% |
971 |
76.1% |
1,276 |
17.1% |
Other Felony |
292 |
89.3% |
35 |
10.7% |
327 |
4.4% |
Class C Felony |
1,496 |
59.0% |
1,038 |
41.0% |
2,534 |
33.9% |
Class D Felony |
1,827 |
81.2% |
424 |
18.8% |
2,251 |
30.1% |
Agg. Misdemeanor |
281 |
62.9% |
166 |
37.1% |
447 |
6.0% |
Ser. Misdemeanor |
19 |
46.3% |
22 |
53.7% |
41 |
0.5% |
Violator Program |
97 |
91.5% |
9 |
8.5% |
106 |
1.4% |
All Inmates |
4,317 |
57.8% |
3,151 |
42.2% |
7,468 |
100.0% |
Source: ACIS. Excludes 44 compact/safekeepers,
116 federal prisoners, and 8 unknowns. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Table 9, on page 26, presents
data on the length of sentences of inmates in residence on June 30 going
back to 1990.
The table shows increases in each category, but the largest growth
among sentences of five years to less than ten years. This may be
due to a combination a factors: a greater likelihood on the part of judges
to incarcerate Class D felons; a higher rate of failure among Class D
felony probationers (these data don't distinguish between direct court
commitments and probation revocations); or an increasing length-of-stay
for this group.
The table also shows considerable growth in the number
of inmates serving sentences of fifteen to fifty years (habitual criminal
statutes and Class B felonies). Two phenomena are probably at work
here.
First, there are clearly more inmates being incarcerated with these
long sentences as more crimes have been classified as Class B
felonies.
Second, those who have been committed on these crimes have
gradually been serving greater percentages of their sentences. This trend is
expected to continue as those serving under the 85 percent law pass the
point at which they would have been released under previous
practices.
|
Sentence Length |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
% Change |
Less than 2 years |
13 |
18 |
32 |
20 |
38 |
22 |
24 |
29 |
35 |
29 |
20 |
53.8% |
2 years-less than 5 |
195 |
185 |
219 |
252 |
280 |
296 |
334 |
372 |
448 |
411 |
402 |
106.2% |
5 years-less than 10 |
790 |
847 |
885 |
1,103 |
1,187 |
1,552 |
1,807 |
1,998 |
2,284 |
2,127 |
2,180 |
175.9% |
10 years-less than 15 |
1,711 |
1,776 |
1,898 |
1,967 |
1,937 |
2,178 |
2,237 |
2,342 |
2,615 |
2,574 |
2,591 |
51.4% |
15 years-less than 20 |
114 |
130 |
148 |
171 |
164 |
194 |
210 |
226 |
244 |
242 |
258 |
126.3% |
20 years-less than 50 |
533 |
550 |
592 |
647 |
708 |
809 |
870 |
944 |
1,020 |
1,061 |
1,220 |
128.9% |
50 years or more |
397 |
417 |
455 |
477 |
499 |
538 |
575 |
623 |
651 |
655 |
717 |
80.6% |
Unknown |
89 |
154 |
256 |
58 |
277 |
103 |
119 |
192 |
134 |
132 |
258 |
189.9% |
Total Population |
3,842 |
4,077 |
4,485 |
4,695 |
5,090 |
5,692 |
6,176 |
6,726 |
7,431 |
7,231 |
7,646 |
99.0% |
Source: Department of
Corrections E-1 Reports
Table 9
also shows that, since FY1990, Iowa's prison population has risen 99
percent, or slightly under ten percent per year. The Bureau of
Justice Statistics reports that nationally, prison populations increased
an average of 6.5 percent each year from 1990 to 1999. During 1999 the national prison
population increase of 3.4 percent was the smallest growth rate since
1979.
Iowa's prison population grew at 5.7 percent in FY2000 after
dropping the previous year. The national growth in calendar 1999 was
3.1 percent.
While prison populations have risen steadily throughout the Nation
since 1990, Iowa's increase has eclipsed the national average; according
to BJS, Iowa's increase from 1990 to 1999 was the Nation's fifteenth
highest.
The
chart on the following page also presents this information, but eliminates
sentences of less than two years and the unknown category to make
interpretation easier. This shows even more clearly the dramatic
rise in those serving sentences of five years to less than ten years
(principally Class D felons). At least a portion of this rise has been
due to the creation of a new offense, Burglary-3rd degree (a Class D felony), in 1992. With the
creation of this offense there has been a large decrease in
the number of Burglary-2nd convictions,
reducing the rise in Class C felony convictions and contributing to the
rise in Class D convictions.
The other point that is evident
in the bar graph is the increase in inmates serving sentences of twenty to
less than fifty years in the past two years. These offenses
would primarily be Class B felonies. While the number of those serving
sentences of less than ten years has dropped since FY98, there has been an
increase of 200 inmates serving twenty to less than 50 years, almost
accounting entirely for the increase in prison population over that
period.
Source: Department of
Corrections E-1 Reports.
To further provide an idea of
the nature changes in the prison population, Table 10 is presented below,
showing changes in the number of broad offender types in prison admissions
between FY91 and FY2000. The largest changes over the period
shown on the table have been seen in drug offenses (+178 percent), weapons
(+170 percent), assault (+143 percent), other miscellaneous offenses (+121
percent), and pimping/prostitution. Only two of these increases, however,
have involved significant numbers of offenders: drug offenses and
assault.
Both of these, plus burglary, robbery, and pimping/prostitution
showed double-digit increases in FY2000.
Two offenses showed decreased
admissions during the eight-year period: murder/manslaughter (perhaps
stemming from fewer homicides) and arson. Each of these offenses involves a small
number of admissions each year, and such small numbers are susceptible to
large yearly fluctuation. Last year, for example,
pimping/prostitution showed no change since 1990, but this year it is
listed among the offenses showing the largest increase since that
time.
Fully six of the
sixteen offenses included here showed decreases in FY00 from FY99. The most
noteworthy of these were found for OWI/traffic (a drop from 457 to 408
admissions), theft (drop from 414 to 397), sexual abuse (drop from 225 to
209) and forgery/fraud (drop from 212 to 191). Theft,
forgery/fraud, and sexual abuse have shown decreases for two consecutive
years.
Each of these offenses accounts for many admissions each year, and
continued drops would have hopeful implications for controlling growth in
Iowa's prison system.
|
(New Court Commitments
and Probation Revocations) |
FY1990-2000 |
Primary Offense |
FY90 |
FY91 |
FY92 |
FY93 |
FY94 |
FY95 |
FY96 |
FY97 |
FY98 |
FY99 |
FY00 |
% Chng
90-00 |
% Chng
99-00 |
Drug Offenses |
303 |
235 |
319 |
369 |
340 |
338 |
466 |
523 |
653 |
654 |
841 |
177.6% |
28.6% |
Burglary |
372 |
335 |
364 |
342 |
349 |
352 |
374 |
400 |
438 |
366 |
428 |
15.1% |
16.9% |
OWI/Traffic |
334 |
123 |
172 |
208 |
280 |
258 |
231 |
280 |
392 |
457 |
408 |
22.2% |
-10.7% |
Theft |
319 |
322 |
353 |
362 |
318 |
322 |
402 |
406 |
448 |
414 |
397 |
24.5% |
-4.1% |
Assault |
137 |
128 |
122 |
169 |
189 |
214 |
246 |
273 |
325 |
298 |
333 |
143.1% |
11.7% |
Sexual Abuse |
183 |
212 |
224 |
205 |
251 |
232 |
212 |
206 |
233 |
225 |
209 |
14.2% |
-7.1% |
Forgery/Fraud |
138 |
129 |
134 |
126 |
158 |
216 |
223 |
226 |
281 |
212 |
191 |
38.4% |
-9.9% |
Robbery |
83 |
74 |
79 |
85 |
111 |
114 |
111 |
84 |
90 |
90 |
122 |
47.0% |
35.6% |
All Other Offenses |
34 |
46 |
42 |
62 |
41 |
45 |
46 |
35 |
64 |
69 |
75 |
120.6% |
8.7% |
Weapons |
20 |
28 |
37 |
43 |
55 |
69 |
91 |
79 |
74 |
63 |
54 |
170.0% |
-14.3% |
Murder/Mansl |
56 |
66 |
77 |
45 |
48 |
56 |
57 |
72 |
56 |
47 |
50 |
-10.7% |
6.4% |
Criminal Mischief |
24 |
24 |
43 |
35 |
30 |
32 |
34 |
34 |
35 |
32 |
35 |
45.8% |
9.4% |
Pimping/Prost. |
11 |
17 |
34 |
16 |
21 |
29 |
29 |
23 |
32 |
11 |
21 |
90.9% |
90.9% |
Flight/Escape |
11 |
9 |
17 |
15 |
11 |
19 |
24 |
21 |
26 |
30 |
18 |
63.6% |
-40.0% |
Arson |
20 |
28 |
18 |
23 |
16 |
32 |
18 |
20 |
16 |
18 |
16 |
-20.0% |
-11.1% |
Kidnapping |
10 |
12 |
9 |
8 |
18 |
17 |
10 |
15 |
17 |
13 |
13 |
30.0% |
0.0% |
Tot. Admits |
2,055 |
1,788 |
2,044 |
2,113 |
2,236 |
2,345 |
2,574 |
2,697 |
3,180 |
2,999 |
3,210 |
56.2% |
7.0% |
Source: Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning,
data taken from ACIS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another source of change in the
population is shown in Table 11, which presents data on the yearend
population, persons serving life sentences, and persons serving mandatory
minimum sentences. This table is somewhat surprising in
regards to lifers, as, while there have been steady increases in persons
serving life sentences, over the last ten years their percentage change
has been less than that of the population as a whole (perhaps due to a
general drop in homicide). Due in part to legislative action, the
number of those serving mandatory minimum terms, however, has risen faster
than the population as a whole, with most of the increase occurring since
FY93. The
drop in mandatory minimums between 1999 and 2000 is apparently
attributable to a change in record-keeping rather than a change in the
nature of the prison population itself.
|
Year |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
%Chng |
Yearend
Population |
3,842 |
4,077 |
4,485 |
4,695 |
5,090 |
5,692 |
6,176 |
6,636 |
7,431 |
7,231 |
7,646 |
88.2% |
Lifers at
Yearend |
297 |
315 |
355 |
363 |
385 |
403 |
428 |
458 |
480 |
491 |
512 |
65.3% |
Mandatory
Minimums |
636 |
659 |
698 |
746 |
770 |
902 |
986 |
1,142 |
1,416 |
1,632 |
1,279 |
156.6% |
Net
Parolable |
2,909 |
3,103 |
3,432 |
3,586 |
3,935 |
4,387 |
4,762 |
5,036 |
5,535 |
5,108 |
5,855 |
75.6% |
Source: E-1 reports
Table 12 shows a broader picture
of changes in the prison population, examining the inmate population by
the type of commission offense on June 30. It shows that, between FY1991 and
FY2000, the increase in inmates committed for persons offenses clearly
outstripped that for non-persons offenses. Note that between 1991 and 1998 there
either were more non-persons offenders in the population than persons
offenders or the difference between the two was slight. Since 1998,
however, a change has occurred, with at least 400 more persons offenders
imprisoned.
Beginning in FY93, the population
also includes a breakdown of those committed for chemical offenses,
which include drug and alcohol offenses. Since that time the percentage increase
in chemical offenses is much greater than for either persons or
non-persons offenses, and the raw increase in chemical offenses almost
equals that for persons offenses.
|
|
Offense Type |
1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
1994* |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
% Chng |
95-2000 |
Person |
2,066 |
2,352 |
2,166 |
2,415 |
2,682 |
2,883 |
3,077 |
3,387 |
3,403 |
3,566 |
64.7% |
33.0% |
Non-person |
2,512 |
2,779 |
2,298 |
2,435 |
2,763 |
2,926 |
3,067 |
3,401 |
3,022 |
3,049 |
20.3% |
10.4% |
Chemical |
|
|
898 |
1,005 |
1,094 |
1,299 |
1,476 |
1,808 |
1,933 |
2,167 |
-- |
98.1% |
|
*Estimated. Actual total will be within 5. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source: Department of
Corrections E-1 Reports. Totals may not equal total number of
inmates in system due to offenders committed for multiple offenses of
different type.
Comparing Iowa's prison population to the state prison
populations nationally, in 1999 Iowa's population of 7,646 consisted of 47
percent persons offenders, 40 percent non-persons offenders, and 28
percent
drug offenders. In 1998 (the last year for which figures
are available) sentenced prisoners nationally consisted of 48 percent
violent offenders, 21 percent property offenders, 21 percent drug
offenders, and 10 percent public order offenders. While the Iowa percentages shown above
are not directly comparable to the national totals because of the lack of
data on public order offenders, the Division of Criminal and Juvenile
Justice Planning has prepared comparable figures for its 2000 Inmate Profile. That report shows Iowa with 41 percent
violent offenders, 28 percent property offenders, 22 percent drug
offenders, and nine percent public order offenders. This suggests
that property offenders are slightly over-represented in the Iowa prison
system compared to prison systems in other states. This
over-representation may be characteristic of Midwestern states, however,
as they typically report low rates of violent crime and mid-range rates of
property crime.
National figures also differ from Iowa's in the types
of offenses resulting in population increases. Nationally,
fully 51 percent of the increase in prison population between 1990 and
1998 consisted of violent offenders, with drug offenders and property
accounting for another 21 percent each, and public-order offenders 10
percent.
In Iowa, however, most of the increase has been due to chemical
(drug and alcohol) offenders, whose numbers have more than doubled since
1993.
Another look at the prison population is presented in
the graph below, which shows changes in the types of prison admissions
since state FY84. A nearly steady increase in overall
admissions has been seen since FY84, with the only exceptions occurring in
1991 and 1999.
The largest total increase occurred during FY98 (when admissions
increased by 485), closely followed by FY2000 (an increase of
464).
Both direct court commitments
and total commitments reached their highest levels in FY2000. While direct
commitments have generally risen gradually over the period, the increase
in probation revocations and suspensions has occurred primarily since
1993, more than doubling between 1993 and 1998 before decreases in FY99
and FY2000.
Even with these decreases, this means that a significant portion of
the prison population has already had opportunities to avoid incarceration
by serving periods of probation in the community, but that they have
failed.
This is one of the factors leading to increased caution on the part
of the Board in granting parole.
This reduction in probation
revocations has significance also because increases in probation
revocations have recently been one of the driving forces behind Iowa's
increasing prison population. Between FY91 and FY98, probation
revocations had increased from 578 to 1,694 (or 193 percent). During the
same period direct court commitments increased from 2,891 to 4,735 (or 64
percent).
In FY92 parole revocations and suspensions and probation
revocations were nearly equal. Since then, however, probation
revocations and suspensions have reached a level almost four times that of
parole revocations and suspensions. Even with the drop in probation
revocations in FY99 and FY2000, they outnumbered parole revocations by
nearly 3:1.
Source:
Department of Corrections E-1 Reports.
The
next graph shows end-of-year prison population, total admissions, total
releases, and parole releases. More than previous tables and charts,
this one shows increasing caution on the part of the Board in protecting
the public.
As shown previously in the Workload section, through FY2000 paroles
have accounted for a smaller portion of overall releases in recent years,
as the Board has allowed more inmates to expire sentences rather than
granting them parole. This is consistent with public safety
concerns, as Iowa research has previously shown that some high-risk
inmates are best incapacitated for as long a period as possible to ensure
public safety.
The net result of this approach is that, through FY2000, the number
of paroles granted has varied little since 1986, when there were 1,216
paroles out of a total prison population of 2,722. That year,
slightly more than half the releases from prison were via parole. Since that
time, with the advent of additional release opportunities such as work
release, paroles as a percentage of all releases have dropped. This trend
continued in FY2000. See
page 16 for further illustration of this trend. Note that
figures for this chart come from ACIS; due to delays in release,
rescissions, and other factors, the number of paroles in this chart may
not necessarily agree with figures presented elsewhere in this report.
Source: Department of Corrections E-1 Reports.
A final description of the prison
population is provided in Table 13, which shows the distribution of risk
levels in the prison population. This may be compared with tables
pertaining to risk levels and parole decision-making later in the
report.
The table shows that, of the included groups of offenders, those
serving time for Class A felonies show the lowest statistical risk. Those serving
time for Serious Misdemeanors shows the highest average risk. Neither of
these is particularly surprising, given that the risk score is based upon
offense seriousness and the duration and intensity of the prior criminal
history.
Class A felons are sent to prison based upon the severity of a
single offense, while Serious Misdemeanants are incarcerated only with
lengthy criminal histories or failure to cooperate on
probation.
Also note the relative similarity of scores for Class
B, Class C, and Class D felons, but the higher scores of Other
felonies.
This latter group includes those convicted of habitual criminal
statutes who would possess lengthy criminal
histories.
|
|
|
|
|
|
RISK |
A Felony |
B Felony |
Other Fel. |
C Felony |
D Felony |
Ag. Misd |
Ser. Misd |
Total |
|
101 |
323 |
81 |
906 |
683 |
138 |
5 |
2,237 |
1 |
85 |
143 |
4 |
119 |
31 |
6 |
1 |
389 |
2 |
37 |
93 |
18 |
245 |
271 |
63 |
|
727 |
3 |
39 |
69 |
7 |
80 |
57 |
10 |
1 |
263 |
4 |
3 |
18 |
9 |
67 |
94 |
15 |
|
206 |
5 |
1 |
27 |
39 |
152 |
209 |
28 |
1 |
457 |
6 |
59 |
139 |
31 |
326 |
239 |
48 |
3 |
845 |
7 |
|
6 |
25 |
50 |
92 |
10 |
|
183 |
8 |
62 |
124 |
51 |
216 |
220 |
42 |
3 |
718 |
9 |
99 |
334 |
84 |
421 |
310 |
67 |
8 |
1,323 |
Total |
486 |
1,276 |
349 |
2,582 |
2,206 |
427 |
22 |
7,348 |
Mean |
5.28 |
5.89 |
6.78 |
5.79 |
5.77 |
5.74 |
7.24 |
5.82 |
Excludes: federal
prisoners; interstate compact; safekeepers; and violator program
participants. |
Means exclude uncoded
cases. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
During the 1997 legislative
session, Governor Branstad recommended that the legislature authorize the
Parole Board's Administrative Parole Judges to conduct probation
revocation hearings in the Sixth Judicial District on an experimental
basis.
The reasons for this recommendation were two-fold:
·
To reduce the workload of criminal court judges.
·
To take advantage of the parole Judges' correctional
sanctioning expertise.
The
General Assembly accepted this recommendation and passed Senate File 503,
which became effective July 1, 1997. The Parole Board began implementing the
statute on that date and held numerous planning sessions with the Sixth
District judges, county attorneys, clerks of court, sheriffs, and
Department of Corrections. Due to an early interpretation of the
statute, the Board not only was deemed in charge of hearings, but also
arrest warrants, bonds, initial appearances, and appointment of
counsel.
The Board proceeded under this interpretation of the law until
December 31, 1997, when Sixth District Court Judge David M. Remley ruled
the project invalid. The Parole Board appealed this decision
to the Iowa Supreme Court but dismissed its appeal when the legislature
modified the statute to correct the alleged deficiencies of the project by
passing Senate File 2377, which became effective on May 22, 1998.
A
further challenge to the Sixth District project occurred in 1999,
resulting in a ruling handed down by District Court Judge L. Vern Robinson
on September 2.
Petitioners had both received suspended sentences and had been
placed on probation, only to have the probation later revoked by an
administrative law judge. In this case, as in earlier cases, the
petitioners claimed a lack of due process and equal protection, and also
challenged the use of administrative law judges in revocations on the
basis of separation of powers. The Court determined that the
revocation procedure used in the Sixth Judicial district as set out in
section 907.8A was constitutional.
During
the 2000 legislative session the life of the Sixth District Pilot Project
was continued for another two years.
Probation revocation hearings
held by the Administrative Law Judge rose markedly during FY2000, as the
number of cases disposed increased from 74 in FY99 to 258 in FY 2000. The monthly
distribution of dispositions is shown on the following page. The
historical data on the Sixth District project have shown causes (i.e.,
cases) disposed. Because more than one case may be dealt
with in a single hearing, this year's figures includes the actual number
of hearings, as well. By either measure, however,
dispositions increased dramatically in FY2000.
|
Dispositions, FY2000, by Month |
|
Month |
Causes |
Hearings |
|
|
Jul-99 |
15 |
14 |
|
|
Aug-99 |
16 |
13 |
|
|
Sep-99 |
17 |
15 |
|
|
Oct-99 |
12 |
11 |
|
|
Nov-99 |
16 |
15 |
|
|
Dec-99 |
27 |
25 |
|
|
Jan-2000 |
25 |
21 |
|
|
Feb-00 |
24 |
18 |
|
|
Mar-00 |
21 |
18 |
|
|
Apr-00 |
29 |
27 |
|
|
May-00 |
33 |
28 |
|
|
Jun-00 |
23 |
23 |
|
|
Total |
258 |
228 |
|
The distribution of hearing
dispositions is shown in the chart below.
The
FY2000 figures are notable in several respects. First, there
was a large increase in the number of cases adjudicated (from 24 in FY98
to 74 in FY99 to 258 in FY2000. There was a substantial drop in the
percentage of hearings resulting in revocation (54 percent in FY98, 56
percent in FY99, and 18.5 percent in FY2000).
The distribution of sanctions
handed down in these dispositions is shown below. It should be
remembered that there may be multiple sanctions within a single
disposition, so there is overlap in the numbers.
The most common sanction was referral to jail (91 individuals, or
45 percent of the dispositions). Eighty-one dispositions (41 percent)
involved placement in residential facilities (the Hinzman Center, Hope
House, or the Nelson Center). Seven individuals were referred to
Violator Programs operated by the Department of Corrections and 19 were
referred to treatment.
In making corrections to the
original statute enabling establishment of this project, the General
Assembly also required an evaluation, which is to be submitted during the
2001 legislative session by the Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Planning.
The Board continues to support this project and anticipates a
favorable evaluation outcome.
A number of factors affect the amount of time
individuals spend incarcerated prior to release on parole. The most
obvious of these is the inmate's maximum term of incarceration, which in
Iowa is set by statute. There appears to be some public
misunderstanding of prison terms in Iowa, in part because of the
indeterminate nature of the State's sentencing structure. Three groups
set terms of incarceration in Iowa:
·
the Legislature, which establishes maximum terms of
incarceration and may choose to require either mandatory incarceration or
a mandatory minimum term of incarceration;
·
judges, who in sentencing determine who is incarcerated and
who is not (and after imprisonment may choose to release an offender on
shock probation after a period of up to three months); and
·
the Board of Parole, which determines when offenders may be
released on work release and/or parole.
Indeterminate sentencing is also misunderstood
because when a judge sentences an offender to a specific term -- say, ten
years of incarceration -- the sentence, absent a mandatory minimum, is
actually zero-to-ten years, and the offender may be legally paroled at any
time after reception by the prison system. Additionally, under Iowa's good time
statute, most offenders' sentences are also reduced by up to half by good
behavior in the prison system, so most ten-year sentences will expire in
about five years.
There have been a number of changes in Iowa statutes
in recent years whose effect has been to raise the prison population. Most of these
either increase the maximum penalty for an offense or delay the time at
which the Board of Parole may consider inmates for release. These
include:
·
a requirement that inmates sentenced for Murder-2nd,
Attempted Murder, Sex Abuse-2nd, Sex Abuse-3rd, Kidnapping-2nd, Robbery-1st, and
Robbery-2nd serve 85 percent of their maximum terms of incarceration prior
to release;
·
lengthening the maximum term of incarceration for some drug,
weapons, sex, and OWI offenses
·
the establishment of mandatory release supervision following
imprisonment for those convicted of Lascivious Acts (Iowa Code 709.8).
Another factor influencing the size of the prison
population has been the Board's increasing caution in releasing inmates
who may pose a threat to society. The use of risk assessment in release
deliberations has had two distinct effects: to hasten release of good
risks who do not need to be incarcerated for reasons of public safety; and
to delay release of bad risks who present a threat to society.
We
present here an overview of available data on time served prior to the
decision to parole. A more complete presentation is available in a
separate report.
Table 15 presents an overview of paroling activity
during FY2000, showing the amount of time served prior to parole for all
offenses accounting for ten or more paroles
|
FY2000 Overview |
Offense |
|
|
Mean Months |
Class |
Primary Offense |
Number |
Served |
|
Property Offenses |
|
Habitual |
Habitual Offender - Property |
45 |
69.3 |
C |
Burglary - Second Degree |
102 |
59.9 |
C |
Theft - First Degree |
94 |
40.0 |
D |
Burglary - Third Degree |
209 |
27.0 |
D |
Forgery |
169 |
23.7 |
D |
Theft - Second Degree |
135 |
21.6 |
Agg Misd |
Attempted Burglary - Third Degree |
12 |
11.7 |
Agg Misd |
Operating Motor Vehicle w/o Owner's
Consent |
25 |
9.9 |
Agg Misd |
Theft - Third Degree |
46 |
10.0 |
|
Crimes Against Persons |
|
B |
Robbery - First Degree |
46 |
113.4 |
Habitual |
Habitual Offender - Person |
13 |
83.6 |
C |
Conspiracy to Commit a Forcible
Felony |
10 |
51.0 |
C |
Robbery Second |
61 |
67.3 |
C |
Sexual Abuse - Third Degree |
34 |
52.7 |
C |
Terrorism |
16 |
46.1 |
C |
Willful Injury |
23 |
49.2 |
D |
Assault in Felony-no injury |
10 |
28.1 |
D |
Extortion |
10 |
20.4 |
D |
Going Armed with Intent |
16 |
28.2 |
|
Drug/Alcohol
Offenses |
|
B |
Prohibited Acts
Manufacture/Delivery |
13 |
53.2 |
C |
Manufacture/Delivery Counterfeit
Narcotics |
12 |
72.3 |
C |
Manufacture/Deliv. Counterfeit Controlled
Subs. |
430 |
30.5 |
D |
Failure Obtain Controlled Substance Tax
Stamp |
26 |
17.1 |
D |
Manufacture/Delivery Marijuana<50
Kilos |
55 |
21.1 |
D |
OWI - Third Offense |
706 |
11.7 |
D |
Prohibited Acts-Substances |
16 |
16.8 |
Agg Misd |
OWI - Second Offense |
108 |
7.5 |
|
Other
Offenses |
|
D |
Conspiracy to Commit a Felony
non-pers. |
13 |
22.8 |
D |
Receive, Transport, Possess.Firearms by
Felon |
37 |
22.4 |
Agg Misd |
Driving while Barred |
38 |
8.9 |
Agg Misd |
Prostitution |
15 |
9.4 |
|
ALL PAROLES |
2,824 |
27.9 |
Note: There is little difference in average time
served for Class C felonies against persons or not against persons. Therefore
only the total for Class C felonies is presented here. The upward
trend in Class B felonies not against persons through FY98 is undoubtedly
due to their recent creation; particularly during FY94-96, only the very
best candidates in the category were paroled, resulting in an unusually
short length-of-stay.
Table 16 is a new presentation that shows the impact
of consecutive sentences on the amount of time offenders serve prior to
parole approval. The table does not control for the
length or number of consecutive sentences served by inmates, just that the
lead (or most serious) offense is of the class noted and that there were
other sentences to be served consecutively. The table shows that, overall, felons
with consecutive sentences serve twice the time to parole approval that
those not having consecutive sentences serve. Misdemeanants
with consecutive sentences serve almost twice the time as those without
such sentences.
|
|
|
|
Time to Release Decision, in
Months |
Crime Class |
Consecutive |
N |
Mean |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Old Code |
Yes |
1 |
317.1 |
317.1 |
317.1 |
|
Total |
1 |
317.1 |
317.7 |
317.1 |
B Felony |
No |
68 |
94.3 |
20.1 |
187.9 |
|
Yes |
17 |
140.5 |
70.8 |
242.9 |
|
Total |
85 |
103.5 |
20.1 |
242.9 |
Habitual |
No |
41 |
56.2 |
13.4 |
180.6 |
|
Yes |
17 |
111.9 |
43.0 |
186.0 |
|
Total |
58 |
72.5 |
13.4 |
186.0 |
Other Felony |
No |
16 |
44.6 |
11.2 |
89.5 |
|
Yes |
2 |
60.2 |
47.0 |
73.4 |
|
Total |
18 |
46.3 |
11.2 |
89.5 |
C Felony |
No |
656 |
35.0 |
6.7 |
185.0 |
|
Yes |
175 |
67.2 |
12.1 |
178.9 |
|
Total |
831 |
41.8 |
6.7 |
185.0 |
D Felony |
No |
1,239 |
15.1 |
2.4 |
97.2 |
|
Yes |
257 |
32.0 |
1.7 |
112.0 |
|
Total |
1,496 |
18.0 |
1.7 |
112.0 |
All Felonies |
No |
2,020 |
25.3 |
2.4 |
187.9 |
|
Yes |
469 |
52.7 |
1.7 |
317.1 |
|
Total |
2,489 |
30.4 |
1.7 |
317.1 |
Agg. Misd. |
No |
255 |
8.0 |
2.7 |
41.6 |
|
Yes |
69 |
14.2 |
3.4 |
40.9 |
|
Total |
324 |
9.3 |
2.7 |
41.6 |
Serious Misd. |
Yes |
11 |
7.4 |
3.3 |
13.7 |
|
Total |
11 |
7.4 |
3.3 |
13.7 |
All Misdemeanors |
No |
255 |
8.0 |
2.7 |
41.6 |
|
Yes |
80 |
13.3 |
3.3 |
40.9 |
|
Total |
335 |
9.3 |
2.7 |
41.6 |
Total Releases |
No |
2,275 |
23.3 |
2.4 |
187.9 |
|
Yes |
549 |
47.0 |
1.7 |
317.1 |
|
Total |
2,824 |
27.9 |
1.7 |
317.1 |
The
parole revocation process begins with the receipt of a parole officer's
violation report form. The alleged violator is subsequently
notified to appear before an Administrative Parole Judge for a parole
revocation hearing. During this hearing, the Parole Judge
determines whether or not the parolee is in violation of terms of the
parole agreement. If the Judge finds that a parole
violation has occurred, one of the following sanctions may be imposed:
·
reinstatement to parole with credit for jail time
served;
·
reinstatement to parole with additional conditions imposed
(including transfer to Intensive Parole Supervision);
·
diversion to an appropriate treatment program;
·
placement in the Violator's Program;
·
revocation of parole and transfer to a work release
program;
·
revocation of parole and return to prison.
In
recent years the Board has attempted to develop a more complete continuum
of alternatives for those violating the conditions of parole. One example,
the Parole Violators Program, was developed during FY93 and includes a
rigorous sixty-day treatment plan followed by significant aftercare in the
community.
A total of 132 parolees were received into the Violators Program
during FY2000, an increase from the 120 referred in FY99. Parole
revocation hearings were not required for all of the admissions to the
Violators Program; the Judges approved 34 voluntary admissions.
The Parole Judges held 618
hearings this year, up from 543 in FY99. There have been two consecutive years
of increased hearings after a decade-long pattern of reduced
hearings.
This is probably due to a rise in paroles granted during
FY99-2000.
Accompanying the increase in hearings was a rise in parole
revocations from 373 to 484. The percentage of hearings resulting in
revocation rose in FY2000 to 78.3, its highest level since FY1989.
Pursuant to Iowa Code Section
908.10 and 908.10A, the Board's Parole Judges do not hear cases involving
parolees' convictions and sentences for new felony and aggravated
misdemeanor offenses. In the event a parolee is convicted and
sentenced for a felony or aggravated misdemeanor offense while on parole, the
parole is deemed revoked as of the date of the commission of the new
offense. While no
parole revocation hearing is conducted for an automatic revocation, an
Administrative Parole Judge is required to process the judgment and
sentence on the new conviction and notify the parolee of the
revocation.
During this fiscal year, there were 115 automatic revocations for
new felony convictions (up 77 percent from 65 in FY99) and 20 revocations
for new aggravated misdemeanor convictions (up from 19 in FY99). Table 20 shows the distribution
of these new convictions. Note that only ten of the 135
convictions involved crimes against persons; only four of these were
classified as forcible felonies.
|
|
Crime Class |
|
Crime Type |
Agg.Misd. |
D Felony |
C Felony |
Other Fel. |
B Felony |
A Felony |
Total |
Against Persons |
3 |
4 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
10 |
Sex Offense |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
Against Property |
12 |
32 |
4 |
7 |
|
|
55 |
Drug |
2 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
|
33 |
OWI |
1 |
29 |
|
|
|
|
30 |
Weapons |
|
4 |
|
|
|
|
4 |
Traffic |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
Total |
20 |
78 |
13 |
14 |
9 |
1 |
135 |
Other felonies
include habitual criminal convictions and drug offenses with enhanced
penalties not fitting into the normal offense classification
Table 18 provides an historical
picture of revocations. Note that while new felony and
aggravated misdemeanor convictions were up in FY2000, they nonetheless
were considerably rarer than was true during the 1980's.
|
Fiscal Year |
Revocation Hearings |
Paroles Revoked |
Violators Program |
All Felony/Agg. Misd. Convictions |
|
|
N |
% |
N |
% |
|
1985 |
395 |
312 |
79.0% |
|
|
170 |
1986 |
486 |
403 |
82.9% |
|
|
160 |
1987 |
575 |
486 |
84.5% |
|
|
226 |
1988 |
605 |
502 |
83.0% |
|
|
213 |
1989 |
789 |
650 |
82.4% |
|
|
207 |
1990 |
611 |
450 |
73.6% |
|
|
43* |
1991 |
526 |
335 |
63.7% |
|
|
115* |
1992 |
583 |
346 |
59.3% |
|
|
132* |
1993 |
617 |
348 |
56.4% |
105 |
17.0% |
126* |
1994 |
606 |
360 |
59.4% |
153 |
25.2% |
94* |
1995 |
649 |
392 |
60.4% |
297 |
45.8% |
118 |
1996 |
605 |
335 |
55.4% |
216 |
35.7% |
109 |
1997 |
551 |
326 |
59.2% |
158 |
28.7% |
85 |
1998 |
515 |
394 |
76.5% |
109 |
21.2% |
108 |
1999 |
543 |
373 |
68.7% |
120 |
22.1% |
84 |
2000 |
618 |
484 |
78.3% |
132 |
21.4% |
135 |
*Felonies
only
The following chart reflects
hearing dispositions within the revocation division for FY2000:
Table
19 presents information on parole releases and revocations during
FY2000.
The rates in the table are somewhat misleading, as true revocation
rates will be based upon all those on parole rather than those paroled
during a specific period. The make-up of the parole population
will be somewhat harder core than those released during any period of
time because the most serious offenders spend longer periods of time on
parole and are therefore at risk for revocation for longer periods.
In a change from the previous
two fiscal years, revocation rates for those paroled for non-forcible
felonies in FY2000 showed slightly higher revocation rates than those
paroled for forcible offenses. While the highest revocation rate was
seen for Class B forcible felonies, theirs was the only rate above 12
percent among the forcible felons. In the other classes of felonies, those
originally convicted of forcible felonies showed lower rates of
revocation, probably reflecting the care the Board of Parole takes in
paroling these offenders.
The rates for FY2000 are
sometimes based on small numbers of cases, so one has to be cautious in
drawing conclusions. Note, for example, that the three
groups with the highest revocation rates Class B forcible felonies,
Class B non-forcible felonies, and Habitual Offender non-forcible all
included fewer than 65 offenders, so the presence or absence of two or
three revocations could influence each group's results. Among the larger
offender groups, however, revocation rates were highest for Class C and D
non-forcible felons. Note that these figures are higher than
for forcible felons in the same offense classes, suggesting the care with
which the Board deals with those sentenced for forcible felonies. The Board
will continue to monitor offenders in these classes to ensure the
maintenance of community safety.
|
PAROLE OFFENSE |
TOTAL PAROLES |
NON-FORCIBLE REVOCATION |
FORCIBLE REVOCATION |
TOTAL
|
|
|
N |
Rate |
N |
Rate |
N |
Rate |
Class B
Non-forcible |
20 |
4 |
20.0% |
|
0.0% |
4 |
20.0% |
Habitual
Non-forcible |
58 |
13 |
22.4% |
|
0.0% |
13 |
22.4% |
Class C
Non-forcible |
679 |
133 |
19.6% |
|
0.0% |
133 |
19.6% |
Class D
Non-forcible |
1,479 |
285 |
19.3% |
2 |
0.1% |
287 |
19.4% |
Other
Non-forcible |
18 |
3 |
16.7% |
|
0.0% |
3 |
16.7% |
Agg.
Misdemeanor |
324 |
5 |
1.5% |
|
0.0% |
5 |
1.5% |
Serious
Misdemeanor |
11 |
1 |
9.1% |
|
0.0% |
1 |
9.1% |
Non-Forcible
Subtotal |
2,589 |
444 |
17.1% |
2 |
0.1% |
446 |
17.2% |
Class A
Forcible |
0 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Class B
Forcible |
65 |
15 |
23.1% |
|
0.0% |
15 |
23.1% |
Class C
Forcible |
152 |
13 |
8.6% |
2 |
1.3% |
15 |
9.9% |
Class D
Forcible |
17 |
2 |
11.8% |
|
0.0% |
2 |
11.8% |
Old Code
Forcible |
1 |
|
0.0% |
|
0.0% |
0 |
0.0% |
Forcible Subtotal |
235 |
30 |
12.8% |
2 |
0.9% |
32 |
13.6% |
Total |
2,824 |
474 |
16.8% |
4 |
0.1% |
478 |
16.9% |
Table
20 presents a longer-term picture of parole revocation, containing
information on total revocations and paroles since 1989. It
illustrates the historically small number of new forcible felonies
resulting in revocation of parole. Overall, less
than one percent of those paroled since 1989 have been revoked for new
forcible felonies, a record of which the Board is very proud. Revocations
for all new offenses occurred in about one of every six paroles. The highest
revocation rates were found for those originally committed for habitual
non-forcible felonies (28.2 percent), Class B forcible felonies (27.5
percent), and Class C non-forcible felonies (25.9 percent). The lowest
revocation rates for new offenses were found among misdemeanant parolees,
who admittedly served only short periods on parole.
|
PAROLE OFFENSE |
TOTAL PAROLES |
NON-FORCIBLE REVOCATION |
FORCIBLE REVOCATION |
TOTAL
|
|
|
N |
Rate |
N |
Rate |
N |
Rate |
Class B
Non-forcible |
63 |
6 |
9.5% |
0 |
0.0% |
6 |
9.5% |
Habitual
Non-forcible |
323 |
86 |
26.6% |
5 |
1.5% |
91 |
28.2% |
Class C
Non-forcible |
6,616 |
1,669 |
25.2% |
43 |
0.6% |
1,712 |
25.9% |
Class D
Non-forcible |
12,719 |
2,108 |
16.6% |
22 |
0.2% |
2,130 |
16.7% |
Other
Non-forcible |
119 |
25 |
21.0% |
1 |
0.8% |
26 |
21.8% |
Old Code non-forcible |
15 |
1 |
6.7% |
0 |
0.0% |
1 |
6.7% |
Agg. Misdemeanor |
4,010 |
131 |
3.3% |
1 |
0.0% |
132 |
3.3% |
Ser. Misdemeanor |
170 |
4 |
2.4% |
0 |
0.0% |
4 |
2.4% |
Non-Forcible Subtotal |
24,036 |
4,030 |
16.8% |
72 |
0.3% |
4,102 |
17.1% |
Class A Forcible |
0 |
1 |
-- |
0 |
-- |
1 |
-- |
Class B Forcible |
730 |
188 |
25.8% |
13 |
1.8% |
201 |
27.5% |
Class C Forcible |
1,490 |
224 |
15.0% |
22 |
1.5% |
246 |
16.5% |
Class D Forcible |
254 |
18 |
7.1% |
0 |
0.0% |
18 |
7.1% |
Old Code Forcible |
45 |
5 |
11.1% |
2 |
4.4% |
7 |
15.6% |
Forcible Subtotal |
2,519 |
436 |
17.3% |
37 |
1.5% |
473 |
18.8% |
Total |
26,555 |
4,466 |
16.8% |
109 |
0.4% |
4,575 |
17.2% |
The
Parole Board recognizes the special place that victims occupy as unwilling
participants in some of the most violent episodes of the criminal justice
system.
The Board believes that this special place entitles victims to
certain rights and privileges and that victims have special insight into
the crimes committed by individuals that the Board considers for parole
and work release. The Board believes that this insight
demands that victims actively participate in the parole process,
participation that should be as painless as possible.
To
operationalize these beliefs about victims, the Parole Board first
established an active program for victim participation in 1986. Pursuant to
the program, the Board created the position of Victim Coordinator, whose
primary responsibility is to assist victims who want to exercise the
following rights established by the Victim and Witness Protection Act:
1. Registered
victims of forcible felonies may be notified of upcoming parole
interviews.
2. Registered
victims of forcible felonies may submit their opinions concerning the
release of the inmate either in writing or by appearing personally at the
interviews.
3. Registered
victims of forcible felonies are entitled to be notified about decisions
regarding the release of offenders.
The
Board quickly recognized that requiring victims to testify in the presence
of the offender was extremely stressful for most victims. Finding an
innovative solution, the Board adopted the Iowa Communications Network as
a vehicle to allow victims to testify at a site near their homes while
avoiding direct contact with the offender.
The
Parole Board received 564 registration requests from victims during
FY2000, with 475 of these victims meeting the statutory criteria as
victims of violent crimes. At the end of the fiscal year, 3.329
victims were registered with the Board, an increase of over 15 percent
from the previous year. The Board also mailed 2,102 victim
notifications during the fiscal year.
In Fiscal Year 1999, the Board conducted a seminar
for Board members and staff on providing effective services to
victims.
Additionally, the Board coordinated with the 24 victim advocates
serving throughout Iowa, soliciting their assistance in working with
victims registered with the Board. The Board also plans to gain additional
insight into how well it is fulfilling its responsibility to victims by
conducting a detailed victim survey.
The chart on the following page shows victim services
performed during FY2000. It is followed by an itemization of the
Board's expenditures for FY2000.
FUNDS AVAILABLE |
|
Balance forward |
$183.99 |
Appropriation |
$1,018,547.00 |
Salary adjustment |
$28,692.00 |
Disappropriation |
($4,835.00) |
Reimbursement GASA |
$48,673.63 |
Total funds
available |
$1,091,261.62 |
EXPENDITURES |
|
Personal services |
$793,171.86 |
Personal travel |
$12,632.23 |
State vehicle operations |
$1,084.52 |
Out-of-state travel |
$4,478.50 |
Office supplies |
$30,078.11 |
Equipment maintenance |
$5,264.17 |
Communications |
$58,150.52 |
Contractual services |
$70,068.04 |
Intra-state transfers |
$26,743.09 |
Reimbursement other agencies |
$434.20 |
Non-inventoried equipment |
$66,732.30 |
Total
expenditures |
$1,068,837.54 |
Ending balance |
$22,424.08 |
|
|
Parole Release |
Work Release |
Release Denied |
Total |
|
Offense
Class |
Average Risk |
Average Risk |
Average
Risk |
Average Risk |
Total
N |
A Felony |
|
|
5.50 |
5.50 |
4 |
Habitual vs. person |
7.69 |
7.00 |
8.65 |
8.16 |
45 |
Habitual not person |
6.71 |
6.83 |
7.22 |
7.04 |
191 |
Habitual Total |
6.93 |
6.86 |
7.48 |
7.25 |
236 |
B
Felony vs. person |
6.92 |
6.74 |
6.27 |
6.34 |
1,034 |
B
Felony not person |
4.80 |
6.56 |
5.28 |
5.30 |
104 |
B
Felony Total |
6.42 |
6.72 |
6.19 |
6.25 |
1,138 |
C
Felony vs. person |
6.11 |
6.22 |
5.82 |
5.90 |
1,173 |
C
Felony not person |
5.05 |
5.67 |
6.10 |
5.69 |
1,968 |
C
Felony Total |
5.28 |
5.82 |
5.97 |
5.77 |
3,141 |
D
Felony vs. person |
6.23 |
5.73 |
5.57 |
5.68 |
516 |
D
Felony not person |
4.99 |
5.82 |
5.92 |
5.58 |
2,886 |
D
Felony Total |
5.07 |
5.81 |
5.85 |
5.60 |
3,402 |
Old Code Felony vs. person |
9.00 |
-- |
8.83 |
8.86 |
7 |
Old Code Total |
9.00 |
-- |
8.83 |
8.86 |
7 |
Compact Felony not person |
-- |
-- |
5.67 |
5.67 |
3 |
Compact Felony Total |
-- |
-- |
5.67 |
5.68 |
3 |
Other Felony not person |
5.17 |
5.69 |
5.93 |
5.65 |
60 |
Other Felony Total |
5.17 |
5.69 |
5.93 |
5.65 |
60 |
Total Felonies vs. person |
6.37 |
6.30 |
6.00 |
6.07 |
2,779 |
Total Felonies not person |
5.06 |
5.81 |
6.03 |
5.67 |
5,212 |
Total Felonies |
5.26 |
5.92 |
6.02 |
5.81 |
7,991 |
Agg. Misdem. vs. person |
4.80 |
6.17 |
5.58 |
5.49 |
314 |
Agg. Misdem. not person |
4.39 |
5.48 |
5.27 |
4.96 |
507 |
Agg. Misdemeanor Total |
4.48 |
5.67 |
5.42 |
5.16 |
821 |
Serious Misdem. vs. person |
5.67 |
2.50 |
6.50 |
5.95 |
19 |
Serious Misdem. not person |
3.67 |
5.00 |
5.46 |
4.86 |
22 |
Serious Misdemeanor Total |
4.33 |
4.29 |
6.04 |
5.37 |
41 |
Total Misdem. vs. person |
4.85 |
5.80 |
5.63 |
5.51 |
333 |
Total Misdem. not person |
4.37 |
5.43 |
5.28 |
4.96 |
529 |
Total Misdemeanors |
4.47 |
5.54 |
5.45 |
5.17 |
862 |
All Crimes vs. person |
6.15 |
6.26 |
5.96 |
6.01 |
3,112 |
All Crimes not person |
4.98 |
5.79 |
5.96 |
5.61 |
5,741 |
Total All Crimes |
5.18 |
5.89 |
5.96 |
5.75 |
8,853 |
Total N |
2,299 |
1,105 |
5,449 |
8,853 |
8,853 |
Note: Risk scores range
from one to nine, with higher numbers representing the highest risk. Unscored
cases not included in table.
|
|
Parole Release |
Work Release |
Release Denied |
Total |
Risk Level |
N |
% |
N |
% |
N |
% |
N |
% |
9 |
344 |
17.4% |
234 |
11.8% |
1,403 |
70.8% |
1,981 |
20.8% |
8 |
251 |
19.2% |
181 |
13.8% |
877 |
67.0% |
1,309 |
13.8% |
7 |
120 |
29.9% |
58 |
14.5% |
223 |
55.6% |
401 |
4.2% |
6 |
339 |
24.6% |
175 |
12.7% |
865 |
62.7% |
1,379 |
14.5% |
5 |
357 |
38.8% |
148 |
16.1% |
414 |
45.0% |
919 |
9.7% |
4 |
150 |
39.4% |
56 |
14.7% |
175 |
45.9% |
381 |
4.0% |
3 |
71 |
16.2% |
33 |
7.6% |
333 |
76.2% |
437 |
4.6% |
2 |
658 |
32.6% |
216 |
10.7% |
1,146 |
56.7% |
2,020 |
21.2% |
1 |
9 |
34.6% |
4 |
15.4% |
13 |
50.0% |
26 |
0.3% |
Not scored |
525 |
80.2% |
3 |
0.5% |
127 |
19.4% |
655 |
6.9% |
Total |
2,824 |
29.7% |
1,108 |
11.7% |
5,576 |
58.6% |
9,508 |
100.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: Percentages in columns
for Parole Release, Work Release, and Release Denied add
horizontally.
Percentages in Total column add vertically.
Decisions by Risk, Forcible Offenses |
|
Parole Release |
Work Release |
Release Denied |
Total |
Risk Level |
N |
% |
N |
% |
N |
% |
N |
% |
9 |
89 |
12.3% |
60 |
8.3% |
572 |
79.3% |
721 |
34.2% |
8 |
34 |
9.6% |
31 |
8.8% |
288 |
81.6% |
353 |
16.7% |
7 |
0 |
0.0% |
1 |
33.3% |
2 |
66.7% |
3 |
0.1% |
6 |
44 |
13.2% |
27 |
8.1% |
262 |
78.7% |
333 |
15.8% |
5 |
1 |
16.7% |
1 |
16.7% |
4 |
66.7% |
6 |
0.3% |
4 |
0 |
0.0% |
1 |
14.3% |
6 |
85.7% |
7 |
0.3% |
3 |
23 |
10.5% |
12 |
5.5% |
184 |
84.0% |
219 |
10.4% |
2 |
44 |
9.6% |
29 |
6.3% |
387 |
84.1% |
460 |
21.8% |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
0 |
0.0% |
1 |
100.0% |
1 |
0.0% |
Not scored |
0 |
0.0% |
0 |
0.0% |
8 |
100.0% |
8 |
0.4% |
Total |
235 |
11.1% |
162 |
7.7% |
1,714 |
81.2% |
2,111 |
100.0% |
Note: Percentages in
columns for Parole Release, Work Release, and Release Denied add
horizontally. Percentages in Total column add
vertically. |
Decisions by Risk, Non-Forcible Offenses |
|
Parole Release |
Work Release |
Release Denied |
Total |
Risk Level |
N |
% |
N |
% |
N |
% |
N |
% |
9 |
255 |
20.2% |
174 |
13.8% |
831 |
66.0% |
1,260 |
17.0% |
8 |
217 |
22.7% |
150 |
15.7% |
589 |
61.6% |
956 |
12.9% |
7 |
120 |
30.2% |
57 |
14.3% |
221 |
55.5% |
398 |
5.4% |
6 |
295 |
28.2% |
148 |
14.1% |
603 |
57.6% |
1,046 |
14.1% |
5 |
356 |
39.0% |
147 |
16.1% |
410 |
44.9% |
913 |
12.3% |
4 |
150 |
40.1% |
55 |
14.7% |
169 |
45.2% |
374 |
5.1% |
3 |
48 |
22.0% |
21 |
9.6% |
149 |
68.3% |
218 |
2.9% |
2 |
614 |
39.4% |
187 |
12.0% |
759 |
48.7% |
1,560 |
21.1% |
1 |
9 |
36.0% |
4 |
16.0% |
12 |
48.0% |
25 |
0.3% |
Not scored |
525 |
81.1% |
3 |
0.5% |
119 |
18.4% |
647 |
8.7% |
Total |
2,589 |
35.0% |
946 |
12.8% |
3,862 |
52.2% |
7,397 |
100.0% |
Note:
Percentages in columns for Parole Release, Work Release, and Release
Denied add horizontally. Percentages in Total column add
vertically.
|
©2003 Iowa Board of Parole,
Advanced Technologies Group, Inc.
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