A parole lawyer is never a bad idea in my opinion. What an attorney will do is hopefully understand the best way to present your son to the parole board as a human and not a number. As someone with a loving family and support network tailor made to help him not become another recidivism statistic. Getting a lawyer sooner rather than later is usually a good idea so they can help your son do the things right now in prison to make him look his best to the board.

So I think a lawyer will maximize his chances of him getting out early, yet I would worry about how often the board grants parole on the first time around. They seem to be as stubborn as the baseball writers in giving first timers a chance.

Interested to hear what Rew has to say.

This is one of the few times I have to disagree with Independent.

Parole lawyers, in my experience, are a waste of money and anyone who advertises himself as a "parole attorney" is just after your money.

Let me tell you why I feel this way. There are several reasons.

During my period in prison, I probably saw hundreds upon hundreds---probably closer to a thousand----inmates go up for parole. Very few could afford a regular attorney, let alone a parole attorney. The inmates who made parole were almost always non-violent offenders and they never had a parole attorney.

They were paroled on their merits and the things they had accomplished while in prison, not because of an attorney.

Attorneys can only do so much. They do not possess some kind of magical power outside the courtroom that would allow them to do things an ordinary person could not do. They also do not know the ins and outs of the case and that can be a disadvantage.

Family and friends can do as much by writing to the Board once/twice a year while the inmate is incarcerated and again before the Parole Hearing.

Family support and support from friends is important to the parole board.

I am not saying a parole attorney is totally worthless, as he might be able to organize an inmate's good points and help the inmate talk before the board, but any parole attorney's role in the process is very minimal. Rather than spending money on an attorney, you would be better served saving that money to help your son reintegrate into society.

Let's face it. A sex offender going before the parole board, particularly on his first try, has very, very little chance of any parole consideration. Hiring a parole attorney will not change the nature of the crime, nor will he be able to make an inmate much more presentable in front of the board. He might be able to coach a little, but hell, I can tell you what your son needs to say and what NOT to say to give him the best chance at parole.

When an inmate goes before the board in a personal appearance, he only has a couple of minutes to present himself to the board members. They already have a copy of every document in his "jacket"----his prison file----and they have reviewed those documents. Their feeling is that they don't need anyone other than the inmate to tell them about himself.

And, I think that some of the parole board members resent having an attorney involved in the process and that hurts the inmate's chances. They want to hear what the inmate has to say, not to have to listen to someone like an attorney who they know has been paid to say nice things.

When going before the board, the inmate needs to have an appearance that is as presentable as possible. Appearances matter A LOT to the board. This means all tattoos covered up, facial hair trimmed neat, hair combed, etc. Many parole board members are older people who hold conservative values, so having tattoos everywhere or looking like a bum will hurt an inmate's chances.

To make parole, an inmate must do several things----------

1) Fully admit to his offense with absolutely NO minimizing of his actions; any denial or minimization will result in his parole applications being thrown in the trash

2) Appear as sorrowful and as contrite as possible without coming across as disingenuous,

3) have a clean prison record with no misconducts,

4) have completed every program which was recommended by the prison staff at the original assessment prison,

5) ensure them that he has a family and a place to live waiting for him upon his release,

6) if possible, tell them about his job plans, and

7) show them that he has worked on himself as a person to correct the behavior (s) which cause the conviction in the first place. If there is any doubt that he will re-offend again, he will be denied.

If you son does all these things, he will have given himself the best chance to make parole.

Like all aspects of these situations, this is really just a game. We like to believe in words such as rehabilitation, justice, redemption, and all those things, but this entire criminal justice system is a game. Your son will have to play the game for a short time to make parole.

Hope this helps,

rewdiazepam

Yeah Rew is an expert on this, I completely defer to him on that lol. If he says you don't need a lawyer you don't. Just make sure your son is prepared to talk to those 7 key things Rew suggested. It would help if he could finish his treatment inside prison, not sure how possible that is, but every effort needs to be made now so he can show he did everything possible to be ready for 2016 parole hearing.

Independent, Thanks for your advice. I really appreciate it a lot. He is trying to take classes but is told that the ones with less years are chosen first. He was sentenced to 20 years. He has made every effort to get into the tech classes and any classes to help him. As far as his treatment. In Texas they will have to attend meeting every week until they are off paper. I don't think there is any way out of that., I will send him the list Rew sent me and make sure that he is prepared! We have several friends who are willing to send letters to the parole board. I am looking for the address to give to them. Thank you again for the advice and help!

Don't thank me lol, thank Mr. Rew, he knows the prison system and parole, I was just guessing with my first post. It was an educated guess, usually an attorney will make things better for you. There's a reason why people who can afford good lawyers tend to get a lesser sentence. But if Rew doesn't think it would help, and thinks it would be better spent on something else, I'd trust his advice!

You said your son has a 20 year sentence, when did he start serving his sentence?

He was taken to the prison in sept last year. Prior to that he served a year and a half in county. He was charged with possession of cp.


Rew and I have been friends since I joined the group! His advice has helped us alot! I value the advice and suggestions everyone has.