The Alaska parole board granted discretionary parole to roughly 85% of applicants during hearings this week, a board member told the House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

Steve Meyer, who has served two terms on the parole board and is seeking reappointment, said the recent grant rate represents an increase from the past couple of years. The Kenai resident attributed earlier declines to two main factors: the repeal of Senate Bill 91, which had made parole easier to obtain, and COVID-19 restrictions that prevented inmates from completing programming typically required for discretionary parole consideration.

"We're in full hearings this week and the last two days we've granted probably 85% of the people that apply for discretionary, which is higher than what it's been like in the last couple of years," Meyer told the committee.

Meyer, whose career has largely been with the Department of Corrections, explained that discretionary parole decisions depend heavily on individual circumstances. The board reviews packets containing criminal history, institutional records, programming completion, pre-sentence reports, and offense details before interviewing candidates.

"I like to say that the map is not the territory when it comes to those because the packets are, there's a lot of information, but it's kind of like a map," Meyer said. "You look at it, but you don't really know what the terrain is until you actually physically get to see it."

The board conducts deliberations in private and decides cases by majority vote. Members can grant parole, deny it, or continue cases when applicants are close to meeting requirements but need additional work.

Substance abuse programming remains a primary concern for the board, Meyer said, as it connects to much of the crime the board reviews. Sex offender treatment, which Meyer described as a lengthy and complex process, has historically been limited but has seen some increase in availability.

Vice Chair Story asked Meyer about the perception that the board has been granting fewer early paroles. Meyer acknowledged validity to that concern but said recent improvements in programming access have contributed to the higher grant rate.

"There's certainly some validity in that perception," Meyer said. "We went from when SB 91 was passed, we had a very high grant rate, partly because the circumstances for granting changed, and then when SB 91 was repealed, that changed it so there were less grants."

Meyer also addressed special medical parole, which applies to elderly or infirm inmates. He said few such applications have been granted during his tenure and suggested the criteria could be modified to allow more releases, particularly given the expense of housing such inmates.

The committee held no public testimony on Meyer's reappointment. The House State Affairs Committee voted to forward Meyer's nomination to a joint session for confirmation consideration. Committee signatures on the report do not reflect how members will vote during the confirmation process.

The committee also heard from Veronica Lambertson, appointed to the Alaska Police Standards Council, during the same hearing.