By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – State parole board member Don McGriff got into a pretty good argument with board chairman Sidney Williams yesterday. The issue actually started last week when McGriff accused the parole board of trying to eliminate the temporary parole panel on which he serves. It was created in 2003 to relieve prison overcrowding and to speed up paroles for nonviolent offenders. McGriff was quoted in the Mobile Register saying the full board is trying to suppress parole cases so there will be no need for the temporary panel. Meanwhile, the executive director of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, Bill Segrest, says there aren't enough cases to keep the second panel. It's set to expire, anyway, on September 30th.