Pa. ends moratorium on parole for violent felons

By MARTHA RAFFAELE
Associated Press
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HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Ed Rendell lifted Pennsylvania's three-month moratorium on paroling violent felons Monday after a review found the state's evaluation and supervision of parolees were largely effective.

The review, though, recommended that the state better identify felons who posed the greatest threat to public safety.

Certain criteria, such as using a gun in a crime, could be used to evaluate an offender's potential to commit violence, and parole agents' training could be improved, according to the review author, John Goldkamp, a Temple University professor and nationally recognized expert on incarceration.

"Recent tragedies have made clear that we must do a better job of evaluating and supervising parolees with a history of violence," Rendell said.

The governor ordered the review and halted parole of all state prison inmates in September after a parolee killed a Philadelphia police officer during a traffic stop, then was shot dead by police.

Rendell's administration did not immediately release the report but summarized its findings. A moratorium for nonviolent offenders had been lifted last month after the first installment in Goldkamp's review of the parole system.

The governor said stricter supervision policies are already being used for parolees. Violent offenders must be supervised for 90 days at the maximum level and adhere to a curfew. A review after that would determine whether the curfew and maximum supervision should continue.

The state's prison population has grown from 46,883 inmates at the end of September to well over 48,000 as of Monday, according to the Corrections Department.

Catherine McVey, chairwoman of the Board of Probation and Parole, could not say Monday how many violent offenders awaiting parole have had to remain in prison under the moratorium. The board typically paroles between 850 and 900 inmates a month, she said.