Alabama State Parole Board

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey appointed a corrections deputy as head of the state parole board, replacing the outgoing chair who led the board during a period of few releases. Ivey appointed Hal Nash, the chief corrections deputy of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, as the new chairman of the three-person Board of Pardons and Paroles. He replaces Leigh Gwathney, whose term expired. Nash's appointment is effective immediately.

Alabama lawmakers are advancing a bill that would put oversight on the state’s parole board. The parole board has garnered national attention for low parole rates. State officials are also looking to borrow additional money for prison construction to ensure the state can build a second 4,000-bed prison.

Miriam Shehane, who founded a victims’ rights movement in Alabama after the killing of her daughter, has. She was 91. Shehane in 1982 founded Victims of Crime and Leniency. She led a victims’ rights movement that reshaped Alabama’s judicial and parole system.

Alabama inmates could see more time behind bars under a bill the House approved that restricts the use of good behavior incentives to shorten prison stays. The Alabama House of Representatives voted 79-24 for the Senate-passed proposal that now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall say they are dissatisfied with the parole board's improvement plan. They are asking the board to…