LAWTON, Okla_Oklahoma County's District Attorney is accusing
the State Pardon and Parole Board of meeting in secret and considering inmates
for parole, who shouldn't qualify for it. David Prater detailed the accusations
in a scathing, nine-page letter to the executive director of the pardon and
parole board. Comanche County's
top prosecutor said if the allegations are true, the board is undermining the
judicial system.
Some of those
inmates should not have been considered for parole because they hadn't served
85 percent of their sentences. That's what upset Comanche County District Attorney
Fred Smith the most. He said in an interview that the parole board's actions
show a disingenuous attitude toward the system and sends it down a slippery
slope.
Prater's letter
alleges that the board has been placing unqualified inmates on a docket called
"pre-docket investigation" before deciding whether to commute their
sentence. He said they were hidden from the public because they were placed in
an agenda item labeled 'docket modifications.' He said those words are too
vague and leaves district attorneys and the public in the dark.
Comanche County
District Attorney Fred Smith said his office has been looking into these issues
for quite some time. He said they are very concerned about it. In fact, he said
his office is reviewing an inmates list to see if this issue affects anyone in Comanche County.
Prater's letter
mentions the case of Larry Yarbrough, who was sentenced in Comanche County
to life without parole 17 years ago for drug dealing. The board voted to
commute his sentence to a lighter one last year, after Senator Constance Johnson
spoke in his favor, saying violent criminals get lighter sentences. Yarbrough's
new sentence makes him eligible for parole.
Prater's letter
also lists other inmates who the board took action on during the "docket
modification" agenda item. He said any action taken by the board and the Governor
is invalid.
Executive Director
of the Board Pardon and Parole Board Terry Jenks and the board have issued this
statement:
"Governor Mary Fallin's communication director has issued a response to Prater's
letter. Fallin is asking the board to review its practice of posting meeting
notifications and to increase the level of information it makes to the public prior
to those meetings. The governor has also asked the board to place a moratorium
on the docket modifications during meetings. Fallin has asked for the attorney
general's opinion regarding the 85-percent rule and the board's ability to
recommend early release."
