We now have a significant amount of clarification on current procedures for hearings before Alabama’s Board of Pardons and Paroles. Specifically, these clarifications are related to the order in which cases are heard and how many speakers each applicant is allowed. There have also been changes to the manner in…
We have obtained an Alabama Legislative Services Agency analysis of cases heard in 2021 by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. The numbers in this report are not encouraging, and demonstrate several disturbing trends, both for paroles as well as pardons. Among parole applicants, only 15.7% were granted parole.…
There is a ton of buzz regarding Alabama’s new expungement law, particularly the provisions making some of those who have felony convictions eligible for expungement. We have been and continue to field lots of calls from people interested in pursuing pardons and then expungements under the new law. While the…
It’s all to rare that we at Skier & Associates get to share actual good news out of the Alabama legislature, so the changes to Alabama’s Expungement law, which take effect this Summer, come as a very pleasant surprise to us. Some of the changes are those we have been…
Each Spring when the Alabama Legislature convenes in Montgomery, we at Skier & Associates look with a sometimes wary eye to see what new laws will emerge from the session. We are happy to say that there are several promising pieces of legislation in the pipeline this year, and some…
There is good news and bad news to report about recent developments within Alabama’s system of handling Parole and Pardon requests. First the bad news: Hearings are still not being held in-person. In our opinion, this puts applicants at a disadvantage as we believe it is extremely important to be…
Here at Skier & Associates we have noticed a larger than usual number of potential clients calling our offices for advice and help AFTER they have already had a hearing on a Pardon or Parole request that did not go their way. We cannot emphasize enough that waiting until after…
It has recently come to our attention at Skier & Associates that Alabama’s Pardon and Parole Boards currently have no plans to reinstate live hearings anytime in the near- to mid- term future. This is disappointing to us and, we are sure, to our many clients who have been waiting…
Although the disruptions to our legal system because of the COVID pandemic continue, there is progress being made in re-opening the judicial system safely. In the past week, I have become aware that in many counties in Alabama, there will soon be jury trials with steps taken to ensure proper…
Courtrooms throughout central Alabama either continue to be closed (Montgomery County, Federal Middle District Courts) or have recently announced closure (As of this week, Elmore, Autauga and Chilton County Courts have closed.) Even those courtrooms that are ostensibly open for business are currently severely limited in what kind of matters…