Could the CNMI Board of Parole be placed under the CNMI Department of Corrections?

The CNMI House Standing Committee on Judiciary & Governmental Operations Committee discussed a new proposed bill that would integrate the Board of Parole into the Department of Corrections.

CNMI DOC Commissioner Anthony Torres appeared before the committee to provide his support for the bill, which was authored by Rep. Marissa Flores.

Torres said during public comments, "If parole fell under DOC, we would have parole policies and procedures aligned with the broader rehabilitation, reintegration, and reduction of recidivism goals."

The commissioner added, "By offering parole, the department will aim to promote the successful reentry of individuals into society while reducing the likelihood of repeating criminal behavior. Parole allows inmates to reintegrate gradually with support and supervision while maintaining a sense of responsibility and accountability."

Rep. Flores told KUAM News in an interview after the meeting, "It only makes sense to put the parole…under DOC because [the commissioner] is integrating all of these programs and he knows best on who should be paroled, who shouldn’t. He will not have a say in that, however, it will be database-driven at this point. He will be collecting data on inmates and how they perform, how they act amongst each other."

The committee plans to integrate the commissioner’s comment in another draft version of the bill.