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Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform

                         Legislative Alert            
 

June 16, 2019                                 
HEARING JUNE 25

You can learn just how badly the Parole Board does its vital work
 
Parole and prison officials will meet with 40 lawmakers on June 25 to explain a scathing performance audit of the Parole Board that was published in April. The review found dozens of major problems, some of which are probably unsolvable unless the state budget gives the Parole Board better funding.  
 
The hearing before the full House Judiciary Committee and the Criminal Justice Committee starts at 10 a.m. in Room 208 of the Legislative Office Building.  This is one of the most important meetings of the last few years on New Hampshire criminal justice reform and the problems that need reforming. 
 
The entire Parole Board and top leaders in Corrections answered tough questions about the performance audit in April before the Legislative Fiscal Committee. Vilay Skidds, a co-author of the report, laid out dozens of major problems her team discovered. Here’s a sample. 
 
“We found information the Board received when evaluating inmates for parole was not always complete and mental health and substance abuse information was not always accurate because neither Board Members nor staff had access to this information.”
 
“We also found there was no process to standardize the criteria used to make parole decisions leading to variations in how Board Members used and prioritized inmate information.” 
 
“The Board also did not have a process to review parolee records as required by law to determine whether supervision levels were appropriate or whether the parole -- the parolee should be brought back before the Board.” 
 
“We found the Board did not establish administrative rules for some of its processes and imposed additional requirements which were not formally adopted.” 
 
“It also did not have policies and procedures for operational tasks leading to heavy reliance on institutional knowledge to carry out operations. This resulted in non-compliance with some of its own rules and statutes, including the Right-To-Know Law.” 
 
“Finally, we found the Board did not have a process to collect data or evaluate whether its activities contributed to its overall mission of protecting public safety.”
 
Attached is a transcript of the April meeting. It’s well worth reading. The full 120-page performance audit report is available on line at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/LBA/AuditReports/PerformanceReports/DOC_NH_Adult_Parole_Board_2019.pdf

Author: Chris Dornin, Board Member Emeritus. (Chris served on the CCJR board from January 2011- May 2019)

https://www.ccjrnh.org/board
Death Penalty Repealed in NH,
Senate Overrides Sununu’s Veto 16 to 8

CONCORD – The state of New Hampshire no longer has a death penalty.

By the necessary two-thirds majority, the state Senate overrode Gov. Chris Sununu’s  veto of the death penalty repeal bill by a vote of 16-8.

Sen. David Starr, R-Franconia, who originally voted to do away with the death penalty, changed his vote on Thursday.

The House of Representatives last week voted to override the governor’s veto of the death penalty repeal bill as well by the narrowest of margins for a two-thirds vote. The vote on House Bill 455 was 247-123.

Gov. Sununu said: “I have consistently stood with law enforcement, families of crime victims, and advocates for justice in opposing a repeal of the death penalty because it is the right thing to do. I am incredibly disappointed that the Senate chose to override my veto.”

Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, D-Manchester, voted to support the governor’s veto.

He noted that New Hampshire has not executed anyone since 1939 and its narrow death penalty is rarely used.

“We are very careful about the way we use the death penalty. Very judicious and very careful,” D’Allesandro said. “Our law enforcement people see it as a deterrent.”

Sen. Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, agreed saying she would not speak to religion or money.
“I want to talk about Officer Briggs,” she said, referring to Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs, who was killed in the line of duty in 2006.

Michael Addison was convicted of killing Briggs and is the only person on death row in the state.

Carson said it is not elected officials but the people as represented by the jury, who imposed the death penalty “because they believed there should be an added punishment for killing a police officer.”
She said: “We are talking about justice. We are not talking about redemption or forgiveness. We are talking about justice.”

Sen. Bob Giuda, R-Warren, voted to override the veto.

“This is called an issue of conscience,” which he said, “supersedes politics.”

He said this is about life and who chooses life. One of the state’s problems, he said is a loss of respect for life.

By imposing the death penalty, “we are taking away the possibility of redemption.” As a pro-life advocate, Giuda said, “my vote today will be to pass the law to override the veto.”

Thursday’s vote makes New Hampshire the 21st state to abolish capital punishment.  
Senate President Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, said, “I commend the advocates who have worked tirelessly on this issue and extend my gratitude to Representative Renny Cushing for his decades of work on this issue in honor of his father and his brother-in-law.”

Sen. Martha Hennessey, D-Hanover, added: “I am grateful to the many survivors of murder victims who bravely shared their stories with the Legislature this session, many of whom told us that the death penalty only prolongs the pain and trauma of their loss.”

Voting to override the veto in addition to Giuda were Senators Watters, Hennessey, French, Ward, Dietsch, Kahn, Chandley, Levesque, Rosenwald, Feltes, Reagan, Fuller-Clark, Morgan, Sherman and Speaker Donna Soucy.
Voting to support the governor’s veto were Senators Starr, Bradley, Gray, Carson, Cavanaugh, Birdsell, D’Allesandro and Morse.

By May 30, 2019

SOURCE

Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform is a proud member of the NH Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
 

 

November 2017 - We are actively seeking at least two additional board members. Please click the purple icon to learn more about the open position.  Click the blue Become a CCJR Volunteer icon below to email questions and/or volunteer.

There are also positions open in the following committees: Membership, Financial and Fundraising, Social Planning & Events, Editorial and Public Relations. Some of these positions are posted now, others will be soon.
 
Read our latest newsletters - click on link
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With almost 400 members it is an overwhelming task to contact each and every member on their annual renewal date.  To simplify the membership fee system the board voted on March 28, 2017 to implement a new policy.  We are asking every member “to submit their annual membership fee between January 1st and March 31st in order to maintain active member status.  Since we are beyond the renewal window this year we are asking all of our members to send in their renewal fee now.  Please take care of this as soon as possible.

Membership dues and generous donations allow our volunteers to continue the important work of criminal justice reform in New Hampshire. To renew your membership click on the icon above and choose the category that applies, Individual, Prisoner, Family or Organization.  In the "Tell Us Where you Heard Us" block, please mention that you are renewing your membership.

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