An internal review of
Pennsylvania’s parole system did reveal, however, that “there were errors” in
the oversight of some of the parolees once they left prison, Corrections
Secretary John Wetzel said Wednesday.
“These are horrible events, and certainly everyone in every
criminal justice agency that touched these individuals and made decisions wish
it went differently,” Wetzel said during a news conference at DOC’s
headquarters in suburban Harrisburg. “But you can also say that the individual
who did the crime made a choice. In most of these cases, I don’t think you can
point to one thing to say, ‘if we had done this, it wouldn’t have happened.’”
Wetzel will not call for changes to Pennsylvania’s parole
guidelines in the wake of the report. But his department will immediately take
action to enhance communication among the various agencies that administer
Pennsylvania’s community supervision programs.
Wetzel ordered the review of parole cases in June, after
five parolees were implicated in six homicides across the state.
The Corrections Department analyzed the criminal histories,
incarceration records, and parole cases for each of the five accused
individuals, as well as crime data and parole release cases dating back to
2007.
The agency found that the five parolees — Christian
Bey, Keith
Burley, David
Haas, Calvin
Purdie, and James
Sterbinsky — all demonstrated “positive development” while in DOC
custody, and that all but one had been compliant with their parole conditions
prior to the murders.
The review also found that arrests of Pennsylvania state
parolees have, on the whole, declined. Per-capita arrest rates for murder and
attempted murder, as well as non-violent crime, have fallen from 2007
levels.
“There is no indication of any alarming trends with regard
to parole releases or arrests,” Corrections staff wrote in a report published
Wednesday.
However, the review of the five parole cases revealed
“inconsistent” communication and “discretionary decision making” among the
parole officers, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials who supervise
parolees and decide how to respond when they’re implicated in new crimes.
Those shortcomings were most evident in the case of James
Sterbinsky, who on July 19 was arrested and charged with homicide and attempted
homicide in connection with the death of his sister and niece, and the stabbing
of his nephew.
At the time, police in East Lampeter, Lancaster County were
planning to arrest Sterbinsky pending criminal charges in an incident involving
a minor. Sterbinsky had struggled with conditions of his parole beginning in
2018, Wetzel said, and faced one report of drug use as well as a temporary
protection from abuse order from his ex-wife.
Wetzel said the case highlighted the need for communication
among parole agents, police, and prosecutors.
“One challenge that has been experienced by everyone is that
it’s difficult to tell if someone is on state parole or not,” Wetzel said.
As a result, the Corrections Department will update the
Inmate Locator database on its website to include the 45,000 parolees currently
under state supervision, in addition to all the inmates currently held in state
corrections institutions.
The database will be accessible to members of the public and
law enforcement, Wetzel said.
Wetzel’s agency also ordered enhanced assessments for
parolees suspected of domestic violence, as well as a new protocol for district
attorneys who must decide whether to detain parolees facing new criminal
charges.
The Corrections secretary also made three recommendations
that must be approved by the General Assembly, including the creation of a committee
that will review and report annually on all murders committed by individuals on
parole.
Wetzel is expected to present the findings of the report to
the House and Senate Judiciary committees this fall.
To read more CLICK HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment