How Does Parole Work in Georgia?

 

McIntyre & Associates
Image: georgiapostconviction.com

For more than 30 years, attorney Michael McIntyre has practiced exclusively in the field of postconviction representation. His firm, Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates, focuses on the needs of criminal defendants after conviction and assists clients with matters such as seeking parole. In most cases in the state of Georgia, a convicted person reaches their Parole Eligibility Date (PED) when he or she has served one-third of their custodial sentence. At that time, a hearing examiner rates the severity level of the individual’s crime and compares that to the related parole-decision guidelines set forth by the state. If the Parole Board determines that parole is advisable, it establishes a Tentative Parole Month (TPM).

During the process of parole consideration, the Parole Board reviews records related to the individual’s arrest and trial. The Parole Board also reviews the correctional institution’s report on the eligible individual, which includes information about his or her mental, physical, and emotional health, as well as accounts of his or her behavior and initiative while incarcerated. The parole decision incorporates not only these findings but also any information that the Parole Board receives from third parties. In the State of Georgia, any individual, including victims and prosecutors, may send information for consideration. All of this material helps the Parole Board to determine if, when the TPM arrives, the individual will be released on parole.

An Overview of the Georgia Performance Incentive Credits Program

Performance Incentive Credits (PIC)

 

 

The attorneys at Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates provide dedicated representation to individuals who have received a conviction. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates ensures that clients understand programs relevant to them, such as Performance Incentive Credits (PIC). Georgia started the PIC program in 1993 to help individuals who are incarcerated move their tentative parole months forward by participating in programs and completing work details.

Most individuals are eligible for the program with the exception of those with life sentences, short sentences, or sentences from a serious violent felony. The PIC program starts with the Case Plan developed upon entry into the prison system. This plan will include the options available for earning PIC points.

One point provides one month of credit. In total, individuals can earn six programmatic points and six work detail points to advance parole release an entire year. Programs that individuals can participate in include vocational and educational training, as well as mental health groups and initiatives based on cognitive behavioral therapy and substance abuse. For work details, people earn six points for 24 consecutive months on a special assignment or 42 consecutive months on a traditional assignment.