Parolee crimes fall, says agency

Drop seen since prison overhaul

Responding to criticism from Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, the director of the Department of Community Correction said Monday that the number of crimes committed by parolees has dropped since a prison overhaul law took effect in 2011.

Between October 2011 and September 2012, 1,709 parolees were convicted of felonies in the state, down more than 31 percent from the 2,498 parolees convicted of felonies during the previous year, Community Correction Department Director David Eberhard said.

In Pulaski County, the drop was even steeper — 362 parolees were convicted of felonies, down 36 percent from 570 a year earlier.

At a meeting in Little Rock on Friday, Eberhard presented the numbers to the state Board of Correction in response to Stodola’s contention in his State of the City address last month that poor monitoring of parolees released from prison under Act 570 of 2011 was putting the city’s residents in increasing danger of becoming victims of theft.

Eberhard noted that the number of parolee convictions fell even as the number of parole revocations dropped more than 30 percent, from 4,851 to 3,356.

He said it’s open to interpretation whether the changes were due to the law, but added, “during that time period, the numbers improved.”

Corrections Board Chairman Benny Magness said the numbers show that the criticism of the department is unwarranted.

“We don’t deal with emotions, we have to deal with statistics,” Magness

said. “The statistics is, it’s not the probation and parole population that’s causing all the crime in Pulaski County, and DCC is doing a much better job than some people want to be perceived.”

Stodola countered Monday that the drop in convictions doesn’t disprove his contention.

“Frankly, we know that burglars and thieves are not getting serious sentences, and they’re not being kept up with by the parole system and by the probation and parole officers,” Stodola said. “If they were, we wouldn’t have the innumerable repeat burglars and thieves that we’ve got.”

Act 570, which took effect July 27, 2011, lessened the penalties for many drug- and theft-related crimes. It also authorized the Community Correction Department to use jail time as part of a range of “intermediate sanctions” for parole and probation violations.

Those intermediate sanctions have been credited with reducing the number of probationers and parolees who are sent back to prison for violating conditions of their release.

In his State of the City address, Stodola noted that 76 percent of the 92 people arrested in burglaries or auto break-ins in the latter half of last year had previous felony convictions. Combined, the 92 individuals are accused of committing 197 offenses during those six months, accounting for about 20 percent of the city’s burglaries and auto break-ins during the period.

Eberhard said Monday that some of the repeat offenders had discharged their sentences and were no longer being supervised at the time of their arrest.

Of the 92 people arrested, 16 were on parole, and 27 were on probation, he said. Two of the parolees have since had their parole revoked, and the rest remain under supervision, he said.

Eberhard said he met with Stodola, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas and Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay in February to discuss their concerns about crime.

Magness said he hopes to meet with Stodola and other officials to continue the conversation.

“The numbers don’t support the rhetoric,” he said.

Stodola said the fact that half of the 92 people arrested were under some type of supervision “proves my point.”

Parolees arrested on burglary and theft charges are often released on bond and go on to commit more crimes, he said. The Community Correction Department has said it typically waits until after a conviction to move forward with revoking the parole of a nonviolent offender.

Stodola also said more parolees should be subject to electronic monitoring.

“We ought to be able to keep up with them in this technological age,” he said.

At the same meeting Monday, the Corrections Board also unanimously approved rules for parolees who will be housed at a planned state-run halfway house in Pine Bluff.

The project prompted a lawsuit by the city that was dismissed by the state Supreme Court in February.

The Pine Bluff halfway house complex is meant to allow for the release of male inmates, including those convicted of violent and sexual offenses, who would otherwise remain in prison because they do not have an approved plan for where they would live. The complex is made up of four buildings that were formerly dormitories for Community Correction Department employees attending training.

The complex is on the same campus as the minimum security Southeast Arkansas Community Correction Center, which houses nonviolent female offenders, as well a lockup for women who commit parole violations.

In the lawsuit filed last year, Pine Bluff officials said the property is zoned for single-family residential use, and that any change in the use of the property would require approval of the city’s Planning Commission.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Rob Wyatt Jr. agreed, but the Supreme Court overturned his ruling, agreeing with the Community Correction Department that it has immunity from such lawsuits.

Under the rules approved by the board, parolees at the complex would be prohibited from using alcohol or illegal drugs and would have to abide by any curfews that are established. They would not be allowed to have visitors on the property and would not be allowed to speak with or “acknowledge” the women incarcerated at the nearby lockups.

Eberhard said the parolees would be expected to find jobs and would likely be required to begin paying rent after 90 days. He said the rent could be about $100 a week, but the amount hasn’t been set.

Community Correction Department Chief Deputy Director Veter Howard said she expects the rules to go to a legislative committee for approval within the next few months. The rules would take effect after a 30-day public comment period, she said.

Pine Bluff Alderman Thelma Walker, who sponsored a resolution calling on the state to seek zoning approval for the project, said she plans to find out more about the rules and consult with the city attorney about the city’s options.

“I just hope that whatever is done, that it doesn’t cause a lot of problems in the community,” she said.