A new report shared this week with state legislators shows that Alabama’s 300 parole and probation officers are supervising more than 27,000 Alabama offenders, including nearly 9,000 convicted of violent crimes.
In addition to those 27,000 convicted of crimes in Alabama, the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles supervises more than 3,600 offenders from other states who currently reside in Alabama.
“The supervision of all these offenders that our officers provide daily is crucial to the safety of Alabamians and we are thankful for the selfless and dedicated work of these law enforcement officers,” Bureau Director Charlie Graddick said.
The Bureau mailed the report to all members of the Legislature this week.
Judge Graddick said the Bureau put nine new officers into the field last week to begin supervising parolees and probationers and hopes to hire up to 138 more officers over the next three years, if the budget allows. In the session that recently ended, the Legislature cut the Bureau’s budget nearly in half.
“We are in need of more officers as we work to reduce caseloads,” Judge Graddick said.
The report shows that 79 percent of the Alabama clients the Bureau supervises were granted probation by judges throughout the state. Sixteen percent of the Alabama offenders are parolees who were granted release from prison by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. Of the 6,078 Alabama parolees being supervised, 58 percent are violent offenders, some requiring much more intensive supervision.
The full report is available here: