Forced Imprisonment

The month of August is coming to an end. I still don't know the exact date of my parole hearing. I should be going to my hearing in October because the Board of Prison Terms denied my parole for one year in October 2003.

I called my counselor to inquire about the date of my hearing. He checked with the people in charge of scheduling parole hearings in the prison and told me that I was not scheduled for this year's calendar. He said that the BPT has been running behind in conducting hearings. Therefore, it caused long delays. Even though this is not the first time that happened, I was shocked and outraged.

The BPT is violating the rights of all life prisoners by delaying their hearings. For example, after a prisoner gets denied parole for one year or two years, he or she should go back to another hearing a year or two from the year of denial. If the delay is six months or a year, that means that the prisoner ended up with a year and six months or two years denial. The delay causes an extention of imprisonment for the prisoner which because false imprisonment because the prisoner can be granted parole when he or she goes to the parole hearing without delay.

I'm asking my attorney to check with the BPT concerning my status on the hearing date. Depending on the BPT's answer, we may have to seek relief from the courts. For me, I'm fortunate to have an attorney helping me. For many others, their rights continue to get trampled on without resolve.

The struggle for freedom continues.