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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft today welcomed President George W. Bush's announcement of his designation of Edward F. Reilly, Jr., as Chairman of the United States Parole Commission.

"I am pleased Edward Reilly is returning to the post of Chairman of the Parole Commission," Ashcroft said. "His expertise and experience, which have served his fellow citizens so ably, will once again benefit the Department of Justice. I look forward to working with him."

Reilly serves currently as a Commissioner on the United States Parole Commission, having acted as Chairman from 1992-1997, at which time he was designated a member of the National Appeals Board.

Prior to joining the Parole Commission, Reilly served for 29 years as a Kansas state legislator, chairing the State Senate Committee on Federal and States Affairs, which handled most corrections issues. In 1981, he chaired the Senate/House Committee that reviewed the operations of the Kansas Correctional System.

From 1982-1986, Reilly acted as Commissioner on the National Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. In 1985, he was appointed a member of the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee. He also served as an advisory member of the American Justice Institute on Federal and State Prisons and as a member of the Community Liaison Committee of the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing, Kansas.

Reilly is a member of the American Correctional Association, the Association of Paroling Authorities International, the National Criminal Justice Association, the National Committee on Community Corrections and the National Association of Chiefs of Police. During his previous service as Chairman of the Parole Commission, he served as an ex officio member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission and the National Institute of Corrections Advisory Board.

A native of Leavenworth, Kansas, Reilly received his BA in political science from the University of Kansas. He served seven years in the Reserve Officers Training Corps.

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