Bill to keep Pardon & Parole Board from politicizing cases passes House committee

House Committee Passes Pardon and Parole Board Reform Act OKLAHOMA CITY – To keep punishment decisions for the most heinous crimes out of the hands of political appointees and with courts and juries, where they belong, Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, advanced legislation Wednesday restricting the Pardon and Parole Board from exceeding its jurisdiction on death penalty and life without parole cases. “The Pardon and Parole Board’s controversial, unprecedented actions last year in the death penalty cases of Julius Jones and others exposed a major loophole in state law that threatens proper separation of powers in government,” Pfeiffer said. “Trial and appellate courts of the judicial branch, not agencies of political appointees in the executive branch, are the proper venues for appeals on legal procedure or wrongful conviction. The Pardon and Parole Board’s function is not to re-litigate already-adjudicated and repeatedly appealed cases like that of Julius Jones, but to assess inmates’ applications for clemency with impartiality. This bill restores proper balance to the board’s duties.” Read more » by Jamison Faught - March 04, 2022 at 06:04PM

Bill to keep Pardon & Parole Board from politicizing cases passes House committee Click the title to read the entire article at Muskogee Politico