MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles is resuming parole hearings after a two-month stoppage.
The newly appointed director of the agency, Charlie Graddick, told a news conference Monday the board will hold regular hearings beginning Tuesday.
The former state attorney general and Mobile County circuit judge says inmates don't have a right to parole. He says they must earn the privilege of an early release. And he is advocating for extra care in cases involving violent crimes.
Alabama's prisons are badly overcrowded, and advocacy groups are expressing concern about Graddick's remarks.
More than 600 hearings were postponed when Graddick cancelled hearings that were scheduled for September and October. He says the delay was required because the agency hadn't brought notification policies into compliance with a new state law.
