Fewer than 8% of people in Alabama prisons are granted parole when they apply for it.

Criminal justice experts got together for a discussion of how to improve parole systems and give more people a chance at rehabilitation. The panel focused on the benefits of what's known as "restorative justice."

Lisa Daniels, executive director of the Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Practices, said that, in part, it means looking beyond the crime when evaluating a person's rehabilitation potential, especially after many years behind bars.

"But we want to look at it as a gauge," she said, "to say, 'OK, are they that person? Or how far removed are they from being that person that committed that crime - 20, 30, 40 years ago?'"

Daniels is a former parole commissioner in Illinois whose life was touched by violent crime when her son was shot and killed. She said she believes it's important to consider people's growth throughout their sentence, rather than only the traditional factors used to determine eligibility for parole.

Outside of parole, those incarcerated in Alabama have few opportunities for redemption. In the last legislative session, House Bill 29 would have given some people serving a life sentence a chance to have their convictions reviewed, but it didn't make it to the Senate floor.

"We are not advocates of abolishing any form or mechanism that could potentially lead to release," said panelist Anthony Muhammad, released after nearly 30 years in prison, now works with the ACLU of Maryland and the Maryland Parole Partnership, advocating for second-chance laws and parole as valuable tools in the system. "So, while there are challenges, absolutely we are not in favor of abolishing, but doing the necessary work that it takes to reform and rehabilitate the system."

The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles held 22 parole hearings at its last meeting May 16. It granted four parole requests and denied 18.


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This weekend, Father's Day will be tough for children with a dad in jail or prison.

More than 200,000 kids in Michigan have had an incarcerated parent at some point in their lives. Statistics show an overwhelming percentage of those parents are fathers.

Tore Price, 48, was released from a Michigan prison last February after serving 17 years for armed robbery, a crime he said was fueled by a struggle with drug addiction. At the time, his son was only 2. Behind bars, Price explained he connected with organizations, including the University of Michigan, to learn how to become an advocate for incarcerated parents.

"(I am) very passionate about helping folks that are still inside, about parents that are still inside," Price stressed. "Because today my son is 13 now, and because people advocated for me, we have a great relationship."

Price has expressed deep remorse for his crimes and added he is grateful to his family and supportive organizations for helping him maintain the father-son relationship while he was incarcerated.

During the pandemic, Michigan's parole board released 33% fewer people from prison and held 22% fewer hearings. There are also racial disparities. African American children are seven times more likely, and Latino children twice as likely, to have an incarcerated parent as their white peers. Yet Price maintained his sense of justice extends beyond the courtroom.

"The restorative justice piece, for me, is today being a better father, and you know, giving back to the ancillary victims -- my mother, you know, my son's mother, and of course, my son -- and just giving back to the community," Price outlined.

Price emphasized his work as an advocate for programs to help loved ones stay connected with family members in prison focuses on people who have children at home and have demonstrated successful rehabilitation.

"I'm a father today, because of the people who sacrificed and the organizations who gave me an opportunity to really meet my son and understand him, and him understand me," Price added.

In North Carolina, 57,000 people are behind bars, with most housed in state prisons.

A new proposal has surfaced to bring the numbers down but it would require approval from Congress. A proposed Public Safety and Prison Reduction Act would pay states to rethink their sentencing policies and reduce their prison populations.

Hernandez Stroud, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, which is making the proposal, pointed to state prisons as the core issue in mass incarceration, holding 87% of people incarcerated in the U.S.

"Congress could help states break the cycle of excessive imprisonment and its devastating impact on families and communities by offering funding as an incentive to both shrink state prison populations and implement humane alternatives," Stroud contended.

Earlier this year, North Carolina's Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety learned the state's current prison population has already exceeded projections not expected until 2027.

Stroud pointed out the Brennan Center proposal would emphasize accountability and community input. States would be required to partner with researchers and local stakeholders, including formerly incarcerated people, to track the impact of their reforms. Stroud believes it could also help to right some of the problems in the criminal justice system, such as wrongful convictions or extreme sentencing.

"This legislation could send a powerful message to the nation that some issues are bigger than partisan politics," Stroud asserted. "Like delivering public safety while promoting a fair and humane justice system."

According to the proposal, if the 25 states with the largest prison populations could reduce them by 20%, nearly 180,000 fewer people would be behind bars. But the Public Safety and Prison Reduction Act has yet to be introduced in Congress. Its $1 billion estimated price tag may be among the reasons.


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A program in Mississippi is increasing access to educational opportunities for those behind bars.

The University of Mississippi's Prison-to-College Pipeline Program offers students at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman the option to take college courses and earn credits.

Patrick Elliot Alexander, associate professor of English and African American Studies and director of the program, said the initiative goes beyond reducing recidivism rates, explaining the courses prioritize equitable education and intellectual growth for this underserved population.

"These courses are team-taught, student-centered. They've been humanities-based. We've taught courses in the fields of history, English and African American studies, and ranging from topics like Shakespeare, the history of Africa," Alexander outlined. "There's a great course going on right now teaching people how to write about their lives."

The program was founded in 2014 and offers a spring course and a summer course. Mississippi has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, with more than 1,000 people in prison per 100,000 residents.

The College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi and the North Carolina-based Laughing Gull Foundation provide funding for the program. Alexander is thankful to the university and provost for waiving tuition.

"There's an interest now in expanding, at least doubling, what we offer," Alexander noted. "What that means for us is the relatively small number of students that we were serving per year, no more than 50 but usually more in the ballpark of 35, might increase."

Alexander shared the words of Barry Catrer, who already had an undergraduate degree and took history courses at the penitentiary prior to his release in 2015.

"When I got out, I realized it was the program, the Prison-to-College Pipeline Program, that gave me the self-confidence to know that my life wasn't over," Alexander read. "Just because I was a convicted felon, just because I was in my mid 50s. It gave me the self-confidence to believe in myself that there were opportunities out there for me."

Alexander added the program extended its reach in 2016 to include women at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, thanks to the efforts of his colleague, Otis Pickett. However, challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for the program to continue.