Dear John,

Of the roughly 200,000 people serving life sentences in 2024, nearly half are eligible for parole but endure extended delays in the parole process – from the wait for initial eligibility to the wait for reconsideration following a denial, according to a new report released today by The Sentencing Project. Justice Delayed: The Growing Wait for Parole After a Life Sentence finds that over the past five decades, legislators across the country have increased minimum eligibility dates, and governors have appointed parole commissioners who are reluctant to grant release, exacerbating the issue further.

Justice Delayed delves deep into the state of the parole system for parole-eligible lifers in five states: Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, and Minnesota. The report explores the factors contributing to these delays, including long wait times for first and subsequent hearings, low parole grant rates, race and gender disparities, and a systemic disregard for human dignity, all of which have rendered the parole system nearly ineffective. The report also spotlights firsthand accounts of Aaron Banks, who has been denied parole 5 times in Georgia, and Anthony Muhammad, who was denied parole in Maryland and only found freedom through a reform bill allowing judicial resentencing.

Increasing delays in parole hearings not only extend punishment but also exert additional strain on families, communities, and state budgets. Parole was designed as a mechanism for second chances, not permanent punishment. Yet today, the process is marked by excessive wait times, low grant rates, and opaque decision-making that undermines its core purpose.

The Sentencing Project makes the following recommendations in the report:

Allow initial parole hearings within 10 years of imprisonment
Establish a presumption of release
Allow rehearings to occur annually
Ensure procedural safeguards to promote fair consideration
Expand release opportunities beyond parole, such as judicial sentence reviews established through second look and domestic violence survivor laws
Prioritize respect for human dignity throughout all steps of the process

If we want a legal system that truly stands for second chances, we must ensure that the parole process functions efficiently and equitably, providing timely release for those who are eligible.