Projects

In early 2005, Free Battered Women surveyed the incarcerated survivors with whom we worked to determine our organizational priorities. Our top five priorities are:

Habeas | Volunteer | Media | Advocacy | Education

Advocacy: Parole Advocacy Project

Survivors | Upcoming CA Parole Hearings
Parole Trends | Supreme Court Decision

Parole Trends of Lifers*

Gov. Davis vowed not to let out any "murderers." Here's a look at how his "no parole" policy compared with previous California governors:

• From 1950 to 1966, an average of 30 lifers were paroled every year.
• From 1967 to 1990, an average of 54 lifers were paroled every year.
• From 1991 to 1998, an average of 5 lifers were paroled every year.
• From 1999 to 2002, an average of 0.5 lifers were paroled every year.

From 1950 to 1990, over 1850 first degree lifers were paroled:

• From 1950 to 1966, Governors Knight, Warren, and Brown paroled over 500 first degree lifers
• From 1967 to 1990, Governors Reagan, Brown, and Dukemajin paroled over 1,300 first degree lifers

From 1991 to 2002, Governors Wilson and Davis paroled 40 first-degree lifers:

• Wilson:
  TOTAL LIFERS PAROLED UNDER WILSON: 39
• Davis:
  1999 - 00
  2000 - 00
  2001 - 01 (Rose Ann Parker)
  2002 - 03 (Cheryl Sellers and Maria Suarez, who were released in 2003)

  TOTAL LIFERS PAROLED UNDER DAVIS: 7

  FROM JAN. 2002 - NOV. 2003, DAVIS REVERSED THE PAROLE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING SURVIVORS WHO KILLED THEIR BATTERERS:
  
  

• In January 2002: Genevieve "Toby" Yninguez -- incarcerated since 1984 (Davis pulled her date two years in a row)
• On February 15, 2002: Henrietta Briones -- incarcerated since 1986
• On April 10, 2002: Valere Boyd -- incarcerated since 1986 (Davis reversed her date the same day he approved parole for Cheryl Sellers; Schwarzenegger later reversed her parole the same day he approved parole for Jeri Becker in Dec. 2003)
• On August 1, 2002: Mary Ramp -- incarcerated since 1988
• On August 2, 2002: Flozelle Woodmore -- incarcerated since 1987 (Davis reversed her parole again in Sept. 2003)
• On August 12, 2002: Jeanette Crawford -- incarcerated since 1982
• On October 18, 2002: Caroline Anderson -- incarcerated since 1982
• In February 2003: Ollie Johnson -- incarcerated since 1987
• In August 2003: Nora Andrade -- incarcerated since 1987 (her second reversal)

*Note: Free Battered Women does not verify the accuracy of any of the following figures

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