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Biases of Ohio's Adult Parole Authority: A Call for Action On September 1, 2006 Roger Snodgrass, a two-time convicted felon of aggravated robbery and involuntary manslaughter, exited from the Toledo Correctional Institution and returned to society as a free man. Snodgrass had been granted parole by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority (OAPA). If you don't know anything about Roger Snodgrass, this news might not cause a second thought. After all, inmates are paroled every day. There's nothing unusual about being paroled, right? Roger Snodgrass, however, was not your everyday parolee. On
April 11, 1993, a deadly, 11-day prison rebellion took place at
the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF), in Lucasville, Ohio.
Prisoners were frustrated with their living conditions and the constant
mistreatment they received from the prison administration. After the riot the community and the nation were demanding justice. Blood-thirsty prosecutors and Ohio State Highway Patrolmen emerged on the scene who were determined to obtain convictions by any means necessary. As bargaining chips, they offered immunity and even parole to inmates who were willing to provide information. Enticed by the prospect of freedom, dozens of inmates entered into secret negotiations with the powers that be. Many of these informants fabricated their accounts. This fact can be substantiated through the many contradictory statements the informants made. Nevertheless, deals were still negotiated. On
April 21, 1993, the last day of the rebellion, Roger Snodgrass brutally
beat inmate Emanuel Newell with a baseball bat and, according to
the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "assaulted several others."
Snodgrass was never changed or prosecuted for these incidents, however.
He was charged with the kidnapping of correctional officers Michael
Hensley Thanks to the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Snodgrass became a free man in 2006. In order to parole him, the OAPA must have felt that he was rehabilitated and ready to return to society, right? I mean, the OAPA does act on the behalf of the interests of Ohio citizens, right? Surely, they would never knowingly put the citizens of Ohio at risk, right? Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Currently,
there are hundreds of inmates in the state of Ohio who were convicted
under the pre-July 1, 1996 Ohio Revised Code sentencing guidelines.
The majority serves indeterminate sentences and is required to go
before the OAPA, as Roger Snodgrass did, in order to determine whether
they should be paroled or given a continuation. The OAPA is supposed
to make its determination based on guideline ranges and behavior
factors that are set forth in their parole manuals. These parole
guidelines are supposed to serve as a timetable, offering a recommended
time range that inmates should serve before being paroled. The guideline
manual was devised to ensure that inmates would not receive sentences
that were disproportionate to the offenses they committed. The problem,
however, is that the OAPA doesn't follow its own guideline manual,
nor does it adhere to the parole-related decisions rendered by the
state or federal courts. Hundreds of Ohio inmates remain in prison
well beyond their prescribed guideline ranges. They are often kept
in prison YEARS beyond the range that has been recommended by the
OAPA sentencing guideline manual. Despite having served every single
day within their To
say that the OAPA is abusing its authority is an understatement.
Why parole Roger Snodgrass, but to deny parole to a first-time offender?
To give an example, one such man would be Frank Oglesby, who is
serving a sentence of 5-15 years for "aggravated drug trafficking."
Oglesby has thus far served 11 years and has stood before the OAPA
Frank
Oglesby's situation is not unique. Hundreds of inmates suffer under
the tyrannical practices of the OAPA. Numerous litigations have
been filed in state and federal courts, in an attempt to get the
OAPA to abandon its abusive practices. Several cases (such as the
Ankrom and Layne decisions) have even been ruled against the OAPA,
but there is no political oversight therefore little has changed.
The mighty court of public opinion seems to offer the only way to
stop the Ohio Adult Parole Authority from abusing its power. Therefore,
on behalf of the hundreds of Ohio inmates who languish in prison,
for years Contact
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