Georgia State Board of Pardons & Paroles

Join us in welcoming Chrystal Lewis to the Georgia Parole Board! Chrystal joins the Board's Investigations Division as an Institutional Parole Investigator. In this role, she will work inside Georgia’s prisons interviewing offenders. Information collected provides the Department of Corrections and the Georgia Parole Board with information used to create a case plan for the offender, which includes programming and tools to support a successful reentry. Welcome, Chrystal, to the Georgia Parole Board!

American Probation and Parole Association
Association of Paroling Authorities International
Correctional Leaders Association
Southern States Correctional Association- Georgia Chapter
University of West Georgia
UWG Alumni & Friends
Georgia Department of Corrections

This Father’s Day, we celebrate the dads whose encouragement, wisdom, and dedication leave a lasting impact every day. Thank you for the many ways you make a difference in the lives of your families and communities. Happy Father’s Day!

Father's Day was first celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Washington State, but it didn't become a national holiday until 1972. If you can, give him a shout out today!!


American Probation and Parole Association
Association of Paroling Authorities International
Correctional Leaders Association

Welcome, Sekita Redding, to the Georgia Parole Board! Sekita joins the Scanning and Imaging Unit in our Post-Release Considerations Division. The Scanning and Imaging Unit supports the Parole Board’s electronic database systems and processes by scanning documents such as correspondence, revocation documents, pardon documents, and victim notifications, all of which are used to support clemency decisions. Please join us in welcoming Sekita to the Georgia Parole Board! We look forward to seeing her succeed and wish her continued success in her new role.

Association of Paroling Authorities International
American Probation and Parole Association
Correctional Leaders Association
Southern States Correctional Association- Georgia Chapter
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern Alumni
Georgia Southern College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Quality Care for Children

June 19 is Juneteenth, recognizing the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday, marking this important chapter in American history.

State offices are closed today, Friday, June 19, 2026, for Juneteenth. The Georgia Parole Board will resume normal operations on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 8 a.m.



Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture
The King Center
Association of Paroling Authorities International
American Probation and Parole Association

Crime victims from the Brunswick Judicial Circuit met this week with Georgia Parole Board Vice Chairman Wayne Bennett.
“We provide the victim in a case as much time as they need to give us their information and views regarding the case and parole for the offender,” said Bennett. “The parole board respects these victims and their input into the parole decision-making process. The Board recognizes the effort and sacrifices it takes for them to be here.”

Each Victim Impact Session involves a Parole Board Member, parole staff from the Pre-Release Considerations Division and the Georgia Office of Victim Services meeting with the victim or victims of a crime.

“The Board Members consider all of the information in a case file including victim information when making a parole decision,” added Bennett.

Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins says he appreciates the time the victims have taken to meet with the Parole Board.

“For victims to want to attend these sessions, it is important to them that they be heard, and that the Parole Board consider their information,” said Higgins. “It takes great courage and strength for victims to stay involved with the case.”

The Georgia Office of Victim Services in collaboration with the District Attorney determines which victims are invited to a Victim Impact Session. Vice Chairman Bennett met with victims representing five cases involving parole eligible offenders.
Association of Paroling Authorities International
American Probation and Parole Association
Correctional Leaders Association
Georgia Office of Victim Services
National Center for Victims of Crime
NAVAC National Association of Victim Assistance in Corrections
National Organization for Victim Advocacy
Brunswick Georgia Community
Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia

Please join us in congratulating Kierra Joiner and the rest of the graduating class of the Georgia Department of Community Supervision's (DCS) Management Essentials Training (MET) program. Joiner works in the Georgia Parole Board's Pardon Administration Unit, processing pardon and restoration of rights applications helping provide second chances to eligible individuals.

MET is a 40-hour training program designed to equip participants with essential skills for leading teams, navigating workplace challenges, and fostering professional growth.

Thanks to our public safety partners at DCS for continuing to provide professional growth and training opportunities for parole staff!

Georgia Department of Community Supervision
GPACS
American Probation and Parole Association
Association of Paroling Authorities International
Georgia Association of Women in Public Safety
Correctional Leaders Association
Georgia Public Safety Training Center

Today, we celebrate Flag Day and recognize the history, meaning, and values represented by the U.S. flag. Since it was first adopted, there have been 27 official versions of the American flag. Before 1912, the stars were arranged differently based on the flag-maker’s preference. That changed when President Taft standardized the 48-star flag. The current 50-star flag has been in use since July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the nation’s 50th state.


American Probation and Parole Association
Association of Paroling Authorities International
Correctional Leaders Association
Georgia Department of Veterans Service
Georgia National Guard

Georgia welcomed the National Association of Victim Assistance in Corrections (NAVAC) to Savannah this week. Presentations and training sessions included those from the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. The Georgia Office of Victim Services and Executive Director Chris Barnett delivered presentations to NAVAC as did the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia.
"Victim advocates have servant hearts. In Georgia, we are very proud of our advocates and processes for providing victim services. The NAVAC conference affords us all opportunities to network and partner in order to improve victim services where possible," states Chris Barnett, Executive Director of the Georgia Parole Board.
GOVS is a division of the Georgia Parole Board. The GOVS presentation covered several of the victim-centered programs offered.
NAVAC National Association of Victim Assistance in Corrections
National Center for Victims of Crime
National Organization for Victim Advocacy
Association of Paroling Authorities International
American Probation and Parole Association
Georgia Department of Corrections
Georgia Department of Community Supervision
Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce
Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia
Florida Department of Corrections
South Carolina Department of Corrections
Karin Ho

Many thanks to our criminal justice partner, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS), for its ongoing collaboration and commitment to public safety.

Recently, DCS leadership provided Georgia Parole Board Members with valuable updates and training on two important initiatives: the Day Reporting Center (DRC) Program and the M.O.R.E. (Max-Out Reentry) Program.

“These are important programs Georgia has implemented to help offenders be successful in their transition back to the community,” said Georgia Parole Board Executive Director Chris Barnett. “The Parole Board is proud to work closely with DCS and the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) to enhance public safety.”

The DRC Program provides an alternative sanctioning option for those under community supervision who are struggling with supervision requirements, but do not pose a threat to public safety. Through counseling, educational services, close supervision, and treatment to address substance use, mental health, and behavioral challenges, participants gain tools to succeed, while remaining under supervision.

The M.O.R.E. (Max-Out Reentry) Program helps prepare incarcerated individuals for a successful return to their communities. Parole-eligible offenders who have previously been denied parole may become eligible for reconsideration after successfully completing the program. M.O.R.E. is a collaborative effort between the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, DCS, and GDC and is operated through the 13 Transitional Centers around the State.

Association of Paroling Authorities International
Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia
Georgia Association of Women in Public Safety
American Probation and Parole Association
Correctional Leaders Association
Georgia Department of Corrections
Georgia Department of Community Supervision
Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice
Georgia Office of Victim Services