U.S. Parole Commission Edward F. Reilly, Jr., Chairman

     Edward F. Reilly, Jr., Chairman of the United States Parole Commission, has announced that the Commission will hold its second annual Public Forum on parole policies affecting District of Columbia prisoners on Wednesday, September 11, 2002. The Forum will take place in Room A-5 of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Washington, D.C., and will last from 1:30 PM until 4:30 PM.

     Participants in the Forum, besides the Parole Commission, include the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

     "The Inaugural Forum held in September 2001 was a great success, drawing attendees from the community and from several community organizations," Chairman Reilly stated. "The U.S. Parole Commission has been given the responsibility for making release decisions about District of Columbia felons sentenced to more than a year in prison. As with last year's event, the purpose of the Forum is to give the public the chance to learn how the parole system operates in the District of Columbia. The public will again have the opportunity to find out how the Parole Commission carries out its responsibility, and to ask questions about Parole Commission practices and procedures. I am pleased that the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia and the Federal Bureau of Prisons will again join the Parole Commission in this endeavor. Our goal is to ensure that the correctional system for the District of Columbia operates fairly and efficiently to return inmates to the community at the earliest possible time consistent with public safety."

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