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Governor Kay Ivey has chosen veteran prosecutor Leigh Gwathney as the new president of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Gwathney will replace Lyn Head, who announced his resignation last week. Head's term had expired.
Gwathney has been working for the Alabama Attorney General's Office since 2014 as Deputy Attorney General, Senior Prosecutor for Violent Crimes, and Senior Criminal Prosecutor in charge of Homicide and Victim Issues. sexual assault, said the governor's office in a press release.
From 2002 to 2014, Gwathney was Assistant Attorney for the Jefferson County Birmingham Division, where she prosecuted violent offenders.
"She is a recognized attorney with expertise and a passion for the justice system. I'm proud to call on this impressive leader to replace him, "said Ivey.
Gwathney will chair the council of three people who decides whether state inmates are conditionally released.
Attorney General Steve Marshall issued a statement in favor of the appointment of Gwathney, which will take effect Oct. 16.
"I have been working with Leigh since I was Attorney General two and a half years ago and I was impressed by her knowledge of the law and her zeal for justice," Marshall said. She brings to the Commission of Forgiveness grids and the prospect of a hard and experienced career prosecutor with a record of holding violent offenders accountable. It will ensure that council decisions are in accordance with the law and serve the best interests of the citizens of that state. "
Gwathney is a graduate of Auburn University and the Faculty of Law at the University of Alabama.
"I am very honored that Governor Ivey has asked the Chair of the Alabama Council to forgive and pronounce words, and I will do my best to ensure that the laws of Alabama are followed and that the public safety is protected, "Gwathney said in a Libération press. "I look forward to working with my board colleagues and Director Graddick to restore public confidence in our pardons and parole system."
The selection of Gwathney is the latest change for the Parole Board since Ivey and Marshall began demanding reforms a year ago.
Jimmy O'Neal Spencer, a parolee, was charged with killing a 7-year-old boy and two women in Guntersville after he was released on parole at the beginning of last year. The state then agreed to pay $ 1 million to the families of the three victims.
The Legislative Assembly passed a bill backed by Ivey and Marshall who designated the director of the Bureau of Pardons and Words as a representative of the governor. Marshall said that would make the agency more accountable. The bill codified the parole guidelines for early parole. It limited the scope of the three-member commission's work to parole decisions, thereby removing administrative responsibility.
Ivey appointed former Attorney General Charlie Graddick as the director of the office.
Graddick, who began work on September 1, postponed hundreds of parole hearings because he said the office had not taken steps to ensure that He provided legal advice to the victims. Graddick has put three officials on leave while waiting for a disciplinary hearing about their performance, including the former director. Graddick said he expects parole hearings to resume in November.
The parole board has significantly reduced the parole approval rate after the Spencer case.
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