Mission:
As part of the Criminal Justice System, The Kentucky Parole Board is committed to the safety and protection of all citizens of the Commonwealth by rendering fair and impartial release and revocation decisions which serve the best interest of the public, crime victims and those who are otherwise defenseless against the criminal element of our society.
The Parole Board further promotes the successful reintegration of the criminal offender into the community and supports their successful attempts to avoid recidivism.
What are the qualifications for a Kentucky Parole Board member?
The Kentucky Parole Board is composed of nine full-time members and two part-time members.
Board members are appointed by the Governor to four-year staggered terms. Each board member must have had at least five years of actual experience in the fields of penology, corrections work, law enforcement, sociology, law, education, social work, medicine, or a combination thereof, or must have served five years previously on the Parole Board. The board members are required to give full time to their duties.
For more information about the Parole Board members, click here.
In addition to the Board members, the Kentucky Parole Board is composed of an Executive Director who is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Board and the Parole Board staff.
For more information about the Parole Board staff, click here.
The Parole Board conducts approximately 16,000 hearings annually within the eligibility requirements established by statute and regulation that consider the question of parole for convicted offenders.
Please note, a two-member panel decision must be unanimous for an inmate to be granted parole. If not, a majority decision must then be rendered by a vote of the full Parole Board, who will notify the inmate prior to public notification.
When considering an inmate for parole, the Board considers a number of factors, including but not limited to:
• The nature of the offense.
• Any prior juvenile, misdemeanor or felony convictions.
• Input from victims and others who have been affected by the crime.
• Probation and parole history.
• Institutional conduct, rehabilitation programs and psychological evaluations.
• Statements from the sentencing judge and prosecuting attorney.
• Parole Guidelines Risk Assessment.
• Community resources available to help the offender re-enter society.
What Does the Parole Board Do?
The Kentucky Parole Board conducts hearings within the eligibility requirements established by statute and regulation that consider the question of parole for convicted offenders.
For more information about the parole process and the possible outcomes of parole hearings, click here.
What is Parole?
Parole is the supervised release of convicted offenders prior to the full completion of their original prison term.
For other questions you might have about the Kentucky Parole Board or the parole process in general, click here.
Parole Board Decisions
Parole with specific conditions. If the offender is to be paroled now or in the future, he/she would be under some type of supervision until a specified date.
Deferment, dictating a specific number of months/years before the offender is eligible for another hearing.
Serve-out, which states the offender must spend the remainder of his/her sentence incarcerated. Afterward, neither the Parole Board nor Probation and Parole have any jurisdiction or control upon the inmate’s release.