Video: Inside Alabama’s Parole Hearing Process
BY BETH SHELBURNE, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, CAMPAIGN FOR SMART JUSTICE
Alabama parole hearings are open public meetings, but a citizen must attend in person to get the full picture of the process. No official transcripts of hearings are taken, so a written record of testimony does not exist. Alabama is one of the only states in which parole candidates are not allowed to attend their own hearings.
In an effort to improve transparency, Smart Justice Alabama produced this video after attending the parole hearings conducted on April 13, 2022 at the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles in Montgomery.
Beth Shelburne is an investigative reporter for the Campaign for Smart Justice with the ACLU of Alabama. For investigative reporting on Alabama’s prison and pardons & paroles systems, follow her on Twitter at @bshelburne.