Parole Suitability Hearings
Overview
A parole suitability hearing is a hearing conducted by the Board of Parole Hearings (Board) to determine if a person should be released from prison.
A parole suitability hearing is often a very stressful and significant event for inmates, victims, victims’ family members, correctional staff, and the community. The Board is dedicated to protecting public safety, treating all persons who participate in a parole hearing with respect and dignity, applying the law in an unbiased manner, and protecting the rights of offenders and victims.
The Board conducts parole suitability hearings for a variety of persons who are sentenced to lengthy prison terms, including:
- Persons sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, commonly referred to as life-term offenders or “lifers,” once they have served a certain amount of time based on the sentence imposed by the court.
- Persons sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for a nonviolent offense under an alternative sentencing scheme, such as the state’s Three Strikes Law, once they have served a certain amount of time based on their commitment offense.
- Youth offenders –persons who were under the age of 26 at the time of their offense, who have served a minimum of 15, 20, or 25 years of continuous incarceration, depending on the sentence imposed by the court, and who are eligible for a youth offender hearing.
- Persons who are age 50 or older, who have served 20 years of continuous incarceration, and who are eligible for the state’s elderly parole program.
The purpose of a parole suitability hearing is to determine if a person should be released from prison. Parole suitability hearings are usually conducted in-person at the prison where the offender is located. However, persons serving their California prison sentence in another state may have their parole hearing conducted by telephone or via video-conference. Hearings are conducted by a two or three-person panel comprised of commissioners and a deputy commissioner.
Public Comments: Any person may submit information to the BPH concerning any offender. When deciding whether to release an offender on parole, the BPH considers all information received from the public. Written comments should be directed to the Classification and Parole Representative at the prison where the proceeding will be conducted. Those comments will be included in the offender’s Central File and will be considered by future hearing panels. Communications opposing an offender’s release on parole may be placed in the confidential section of the Central File. The names and addresses of those writing are considered confidential.
View list of adult prison addresses and main phone numbers
Letters of support or opposition of an incarcerated individual’s upcoming Board proceeding or review can also be sent directly to the Board at BPH.CorrespondenceUnit@cdcr.ca.gov or to our address at:
Board of Parole Hearings
Post Office Box 4036
Sacramento, CA 95812-4036
Telephone: 916-445-4072
There is no requirement to send a hard copy via standard mail if the communication is sent to our email address.