"Our paroling rates are up, and we have a lot more lifers being released. It looks like we're up about 3.5 percent, and that has to do with various factors: mandatory release, medical releases, paroling rates. So our numbers are going up, but it's not a negative."
"The parole rate reflects the percentage of cases in which the Board votes to grant parole, while the increase in persons released refers to the total number of individuals who actually enter parole supervision during a given period."
"A different group of people are coming before the Parole Board, largely because of the Mattis decision. Now, we have [youthful offenders eligible for parole consideration]."
Massachusetts experienced increased parole activity in 2024, with the Parole Board reporting a 3.5 percent rise in persons released to parole supervision. Life sentence hearings saw a significant 15 percent increase in parole rates, jumping from 57 percent in 2023 to 72 percent in 2024. This increase stems largely from the Commonwealth v. Sheldon Mattis decision, which ruled that adults under 21 cannot receive life sentences without parole eligibility. In December 2024, eight individuals became the first youthful offenders granted parole under this ruling. The Parole Board chair emphasized these changes reflect various factors including mandatory releases and medical releases, characterizing the increases as positive developments.
Read at Boston.com
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