OPINION:
The Parole Board was never meant to be an instrument of political gamesmanship. But on Thursday, March 10, Senate Democrats blocked Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s supremely qualified nominees for the Parole Board, including three women, one who survived being shot in the head while serving as a Richmond Police Officer, a Latina who advocates for survivors of sexual and domestic violence, and a Black female attorney and law professor, as well as one of Virginia’s finest sheriffs.
On his first day in office, Mr. Youngkin signed Executive Order 3, taking certain actions with the goal of restoring integrity and confidence in the Virginia Parole Board and the Commonwealth’s system of criminal justice. We are just starting to rebuild trust from the last abuse of the Parole Board for political gain. As the spotlight is shone on this institution once again, I would like to share my plan for a board built on trust and accountability — not politics. Time to rise above the fray.
As a former Circuit Court judge, I am keenly aware of how important it is for the public to have faith in our institutions. Judges in the Commonwealth of Virginia are required to adhere to the Canons of Judicial Conduct, and intrinsic to the Canons are “the precepts that judges, individually and collectively, must respect and honor the judicial office as a public trust and strive to enhance and maintain confidence in our legal system.”
My primary goal as chair has been to restore the public’s trust in the Parole Board. Virginians must have confidence that, when we make a decision as a board, it has been made only after solemnly examining all the evidence, including the wishes of victims, and that our decision is consistent with public safety.
No longer will the actions of this board be shrouded in secrecy. A key to restoring trust — a trust that has been surrendered in recent years — is to implement a policy of transparency in the way the Parole Board conducts business. We have committed ourselves to a level of transparency that far exceeds the typical standards for government agencies. Our policy will be “maximum disclosure, minimum delay.”
One piece of that puzzle was provided by the General Assembly this year when Senate Bill 5 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. SB5 mandates votes taken by the board to grant or not grant parole be made public.
As Sen. David Suetterlein, sponsor of SB5 said: “When someone is arrested for violating Virginia law, everyone can look up … the names of the arresting officer, the prosecutor, the judge, and the appellate judges. Only when it gets to the Parole Board does anonymous action replace transparency. When SB5 is signed into law, we can bring the disinfecting benefits of sunshine to the Parole Board.”
This is vital for criminal justice in the Commonwealth. As a judge, I signed my name to every decision I made for nearly 15 years. Those decisions are all made in public and are available to the public. In making these important public safety decisions, the Parole Board will now join other agencies in being publicly accountable.
Along with transparency, this board will also make it a priority to listen to victims. As the governor said in his executive order, “[t]oo often, victims of violent crime are ignored, silenced, and overlooked. Victims deserve to know their voices matter.”
This will be our guiding principle. We have already taken steps to ensure this board will make no decisions on parole until we have had an opportunity to reach out and listen to victims, not just as a formality but as a vitally important step in our process. We’re also working to improve outcomes for all other stakeholders, including law enforcement and families of the offenders, who should have a voice, as well.
This is not a partisan issue; it’s a solemn duty. Virginians are forgiving, and we must consider granting second chances to those who have earned it. But we can only do so when it is compatible with public safety and after listening carefully to those who have been most affected.
It is an honor to be entrusted with this duty, but I need a Parole Board to begin this great undertaking. We cannot consider or grant parole without a board; it’s time to end the partisan games. I pledge to shine a light on the Virginia Parole Board and govern the agency’s actions in a way that will ensure the greatest public confidence in our independence, impartiality, integrity, and competence. Virginians deserve nothing less.
• Chadwick Dotson was appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and confirmed by the Virginia Senate to serve as the chair of the Virginia Parole Board. He is a former Circuit Court judge and Commonwealth’s attorney.
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