Oct. 31 was an important day at SCI Mercer for inmates who will be eligible for parole within the next 24 months. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole Chairman Leo Dunn presented an informational talk on the parole process to more than 100 inmates who met this timeframe along with numerous staff members.
In attendance with Dunn were PBPP Board Member Anthony Moscato, PBPP Western Regional Director of Field Supervision James Williams and Chairman Dunn's Assistant Kaitlyn Romisky.
During the two-hour presentation, Dunn explained the parole hearing process to the group and offered suggestions on how to prepare for parole interviews to help them go more smoothly for the individual.
After the informational presentation, Dunn opened the discussion up to those in attendance to ask any questions they had of him, Moscato and Williams. The three answered many good questions about the parole process and some that were argumentative as well.
Dunn stated that the goal of the educational events held throughout the state this year was to help the inmates to have open and honest conversations with Board members during their parole interviews. Although the Board looks over the inmate's file and creates a detailed profile on whether the individual is ready to be paroled, the in-person interviews are an important component of the decision.
He added that holding these types of informational sessions is a step in the right direction in assisting individuals with preparing for their parole interviews.