ReThink Justice DC Coalition New Visions Committee co-chair Malcolm C. Young has drafted a concise report noting that the DC parole authority model proposed by ReThink Justice and the DC Reentry Task Force [link] would be a successful model based on a national comparison. The report, titled How the Proposed District of Columbia Parole and Supervised Release Authority rates: A National Comparison, shows that the ReThink/Reentry Task Force program model would be highly rated according to criteria applied in a survey of parole in 50 states by the Prison Policy Institute.
Mr. Young sent his report to a number of city officials including City Council members and staff, AG Karl Racine, and Rep. Elenor Holmes Norton. In his cover email, Young commented on the Mayor and Council’s failure to provide funding for a DC-accountable parole authority to replace the US Parole Commission:
“Respectfully, you don’t need another study. As explained in the attached Memorandum, “How the Proposed District of Columbia Parole and Supervised Release Authority rates: A National Comparison,” the program model we have put before you would be highly rated according to criteria applied in a survey of parole in 50 states by the Prison Policy Institute. [link]
“What is needed are sufficient funds to put a new program in place in time to begin working on 1 November 2022. And frankly, it should be well within the capacity of both the Mayor’s office and the Council to design a new, locally controlled parole authority that could serve as a model for the nation. We think we’ve given you a leg up, if you chose to consider our suggestions.”
CLICK HERE to access Rethink’s Local Control of Parole Document Library