Hi, my cousin has been in the CA Prison System for a very long time; I do not know how long. I only know a small part of why he is in. The only two family members that new everything, have both passed.

I write to my cousin but he cannot discuss details with me and I have learned that I can't ask certain questions, evidently, because of those that scan his mail(not certain).

I'm trying to find out where I might find out about his original case and when he might be eligible for parole. I may sound naive, but I also don't want to cause any possible problems for him.

I also understand that there have been headlines in recent news about possible early paroles, etc. How can I find out if this might apply to him?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Hi, I see that you are from NC, I did my time there and maybe I can offer a thing or two.

First, the parole thing is something that seems to come up often, like twice a year. People keep saying that they heard that the structured sentencing will be cut back to the 65% rule, which has never been validated. Lots of people hear that and think that the DOC is going to let a lot of people out earlier, and then they tell their loved ones in prison, who then start a raging river of rumors.

In the end, it all turns out to be false.

Finding info about your loved one's charges, if he has been in awhile, may take a lot of sleuthing, but most cases you should be able to go online and find an inmate's projected release date.

The main two reasons a person would not want to discuss the case is that either he is too ashamed to talk about it, or the prison reads his mail, which may mean the book isn't fully closed on the case...something seems to be missing that maybe he isn't willing to tell.

Obviously I don't know, but sometimes inmates don't want to talk about what happened anyway. I know I didn't. Why relive the worst days of your life? Most guys in prison don't talk freely about why they are in prison anyway, what is done is done.

Also, some guys are afraid to talk because there may be guys in prison that will tell what they heard to a lawyer in hopes to get a reduced sentence....you might laugh, but that is true to some degree.

Still, give the NCDOC a shot if the person you are talking about is in NC, if not check the appropriate state. Hope that helps.

As I stated in my original post, I may be in NC, but my cousin is in prison in California, so checking the NC prison information will do me no good.

I am still trying to find out where I can find out about his next possible parole date or even better, a release date. Does anyone know where I might be able to get this information?

That information is confidential and only he can release it. If he is a lifer, when a parole hearing is scheduled his parole hearing date will be public.

To get the details on his case, i.e. court minutes, etc. you must get it from the county court that he was sentenced in.

I don't understand why he won't tell you his release date though, that seems odd.

As I stated in my original post, I may be in NC, but my cousin is in prison in California, so checking the NC prison information will do me no good.

I am still trying to find out where I can find out about his next possible parole date or even better, a release date. Does anyone know where I might be able to get this information?

If you want to check on a monthly basis, California usually posts their hearing schedules around the 25-28th of the prior month. Go to:
http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Divisions_Boards/BOPH/hearing_schedule.html

If he doesn't discuss it with you, which alot of guys don't, especially through the mail, the only other thing I can think of is getting your cousins counselor's name and call the counselor and see if he/she will update you on stuff. Sometimes they will give it to you, and sometimes they don't. Otherwise, I don't know what else to suggest.

GOOD LUCK!!!!