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California Parole Board Agrees to Implement Policy to Fix Terms at Lifers’ Initial Hearings
by John E. Dannenberg
On December 16, 2013, the California Board of Parole Hearings (Board) and life-sentenced state prisoner Roy Butler entered into a settlement agreement wherein the Board agreed to fix base and adjusted base terms (guidelines for the minimum amount of time that should be served) for all …
On December 16, 2013, the California Board of Parole Hearings (Board) and life-sentenced state prisoner Roy Butler entered into a settlement agreement wherein the Board agreed to fix base and adjusted base terms (guidelines for the minimum amount of time that should be served) for all …
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More from this issue:
- American Apartheid: Why Scandinavian Prisons Are Superior, by Doran Larson
- Sweden’s Shrinking Prison Population, by Christopher Zoukis
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Mangaung and Beyond: Private Prison Exemplifies South Africa’s Criminal Justice Woes, by James Kilgore
- Hidden Agenda Fuels Challenge to Pivotal Death Penalty Case, by David Protess
- Seventh Circuit: Lifetime Supervision in Pornography Case Set Aside, by Derek Gilna
- Pennsylvania Woman Jailed for Failure to Pay Parking Tickets
- Controversy, Litigation and Performance Problems Plague Private Probation Services, by David Reutter
- Task Force Linked to Harsh Sentencing Laws and Private Prison Firms Disbands Following Public Scrutiny, Boycott
- East Mississippi Prison Nightmare, by Christopher Zoukis
- Massachusetts Supreme Court: 90 Days in Segregation on Awaiting Action Status without Hearing Violates Due Process
- Washington Defendant Improperly Denied Transcript at State Expense
- Programs Proliferate for Incarcerated Veterans
- Arizona TV Reporter Blames Prisoners for Citizens’ Lack of Healthcare
- Study: Risk of Murder, Overdose and Suicide Higher for Recently Released Jail Prisoners in New York City
- California Parole Board Agrees to Implement Policy to Fix Terms at Lifers’ Initial Hearings, by John Dannenberg
- How Actions by Oklahoma Governor’s Staff Led to Weakened State Justice Reforms, by Clifton Adcock
- Failure to Protect New Jersey Jail Detainee Leads to Drastic Bail Reduction
- Top Texas Judge Breaks the Law but Gets Special Treatment
- New York Prisoner Awarded Almost $16 Million Due to Poor Medical Treatment, by Christopher Zoukis
- Director of Victims’ Rights Group Sent to Prison for Embezzlement
- Study Finds Prisoners Inappropriately Using Topical Antibiotics, by David Reutter
- Connecticut Guards File Grievances over Efforts to Stem Super Bowl Absenteeism
- PLN Challenges Postcard-only Policy at Florida Jail
- Shareholder Resolutions Seek to Lower Phone Rates at Private Prisons
- Unwanted Reprieve from Execution Upheld by Oregon Supreme Court, by Christopher Zoukis
- Massachusetts Supreme Court: Failure to Register Guilty Plea Vacated
- No Immunity for Detainee’s Death Due to Alcohol Withdrawal; $1.23 Million Settlement on Remand
- Tenth Circuit: FRAP 4(b) Clock Commences Upon Entry in Public Docket
- FCC Rate Caps on Prison Phone Calls to Impact Nevada DOC’s Budget, by David Ganim
- SC Supreme Court Reverses Furtick; No Liberty Interest in Opportunity to Earn Sentence-Reduction Credits
- Religious Diet Qualified Immunity Test Outlined by Seventh Circuit
- Multiple Convictions, Single Proceeding Triggers Alaska Lifetime Sex Offender Registration
- Oregon: Life Sentence for Murder Unconstitutional During Eight-Month Period in 1999
- Seventh Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Prisoner's Law Library Access Claim, by Derek Gilna
- Ninth Circuit: Budgetary Constraints May Excuse Deliberate Indifference to Prisoner’s Serious Medical Needs; En Banc Review Granted
- Tenth Circuit Orders Foreseeability Jury Determination for Detention by New Mexico DOC Employees
- Ninth Circuit: No Summary Judgment on Claim of Excessive Use of Pepper Spray
- Oregon: Jury Trials Required When Prosecutors Treat Misdemeanors as Violations
- Res Judicata Doesn't Bar Ohio Post-release Control Challenge
- Hawaii: Incarceration is Good Cause for Failure to Appear; Bail Forfeiture Set Aside
- News in Brief
More from John Dannenberg:
- Disciplinary Self-Help Litigation Manual, 2d Ed., by Dan Manville, March 5, 2015
- Systemic Changes Follow Murder of Colorado Prison Director, July 10, 2014
- The Redbook – A Manual on Legal Style, April 15, 2014
- Arrest-Proof Yourself, by Dale Carson and Wes Denham, March 15, 2014
- Arrested: What to do When Your Loved One’s in Jail, by Wes Denham, Feb. 15, 2014
- California Parole Board Agrees to Implement Policy to Fix Terms at Lifers’ Initial Hearings, Jan. 15, 2014
- FCC Order Heralds Hope for Reform of Prison Phone Industry, Dec. 15, 2013
- Federal Court Orders California to Release 9,600 More Prisoners, Aug. 15, 2013
- Valley Fever Declared a Public Health Emergency at Two California Prisons; Court Orders Prisoner Transfers, July 15, 2013
- Plata and Coleman Showdown in California, June 15, 2013
More from these topics:
- California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Totality of Conditions, Parole, Life without Parole (LWOP), Americans with Disabilities Act.
- SCOTUS Announces Sentencing Reform Act Does Not Authorize Automatic Extension of Supervised Release When Defendant Absconds, Resolving Circuit Split, April 1, 2026. Sentencing, Revocation/Modification of Probation, etc., Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
- Colorado Law Intended to Reduce Prison Population Hasn’t Improved Conditions, March 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Parole, halfway houses, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Maine Was the First State to Abolish Parole. Incarcerated Mainers, Advocates Hope to Bring it Back., March 1, 2026. Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, De Facto Life Sentence.
- Colorado Lawmakers Approve Prison Bed Funding, Despite DOC Understaffing, March 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Staffing, Parole, Overdetention, Reduction of Prison Population.
- North Carolina Parole Commission Agrees to Stop “Moving Goalposts” for Prisoners Who Committed Crime as Juveniles, Feb. 1, 2026. Parole Board Misconduct, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Study Finds Parole Hearings and Grants Continue to Fall, Jan. 1, 2026. Parole Board Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
- First Circuit Announces Modification of Juvenile’s Life-Without-Parole Sentence to Parole-Eligible Life Term Constitutes “New Judgment” Under AEDPA, Exempting Second-in-Time Habeas Petition From Gatekeeping Requirements, Jan. 1, 2026. Parole, Habeas Corpus, Life without Parole (LWOP), AEDPA, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Ex-Wife of Minnesota DOC Commissioner Sentenced for Poisoning Attempt on Son, Dec. 1, 2025. Out of State Transfers, Sentencing, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, Confessions and Statements of Defendant, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- DOJ Finds Unconstitutional Conditions in Texas Juvenile Detention, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Sentencing, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Protect (Juveniles), Juvenile Prisons.

