I had the opportunity to attend a session of the Rhode Island Parole Board. This one occurred in Minimum Security and related primarily to individuals who had eighteen months or less to serve on their then sentences.
I could not be happier with the work that I saw done by the real Parole Board members who included Ray Rickman, Captain Tom Verdi, and Ric Reamer. I was impressed by their ability to get through cases, their common sense, sense of humor, the way they treated the prisoners as human beings and not just numbers, and their common sense approach to issues. Prior to the session with the prisoners, I also attended a session with two women who were afraid that their ex-boyfriends or husbands would be released and that they may be subject to personal danger. It was a telling experience to listen to them.
I must say that I thought the Parole Board worked with dispatch, they were thoughtful and attentive, they treated attorneys also with respect, and I found, after listening to them (and not having the benefit of the prisoner files) and to the prisoners who spoke, that the procedure seemed to be working because the Board members were all competent, concerned, and experienced.