Bay State district attorneys are backing Gov. Maura Healey’s pick for the Parole Board after the guv’s nomination of a former prosecutor led to pushback.
The Massachusetts District Attorneys Association is calling on the Governor’s Council to confirm Vincent DeMore to the Parole Board this week.
Local DAs for years have been pushing for a Parole Board member with prosecutorial experience, as the board frees dozens of first-degree murderers.
Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden, the president of MDAA, on Tuesday wrote a letter to the members of the Governor’s Council — a day after Healey wrote a letter to the council pressing for the approval of DeMore to the $150,000-plus role.
Their letters come in response to hundreds of people opposing DeMore’s nomination, saying his background as a prosecutor doesn’t reflect the “type of multidisciplinary, rehabilitative expertise” needed for the board.
Hayden in Tuesday’s letter emphasized the importance of adding a Parole Board member with a prosecutorial perspective.
“I write on behalf of a majority of the District Attorneys to respectfully suggest that the Governor’s Council may need to re-examine the measures and standards it uses to evaluate who it deems appropriate for service on our Parole Board,” Hayden wrote.
“Currently, it seems that there’s a prevailing notion that a candidate with a prosecutorial background is automatically ill-suited for Parole Board service,” he added. “We must respectfully caution against such a simple conclusion.”
The Parole Board in recent months has faced criticism for freeing first-degree murderers.
“After many years of our collective experience as the Commonwealth’s District Attorneys, we have witnessed firsthand the consequences – for victims and witnesses, their families and communities impacted by crime – when parole decisions are made without adequate representation from those who have advocated for victims and centered public safety,” Hayden wrote.
The Parole Board should have members with a variety of perspectives, including a prosecutor’s point of view, he added.
“A candidate with prosecutorial experience has responded to and investigated offenses, played a vital role in the court proceedings and the administration of justice in matters that come before the Parole Board, and worked alongside community service providers and stakeholders that absorb the impact of violence and crime,” Hayden wrote.
“It is imperative that these experiences are reflected in parole decisions,” he added. “Given the current constitution of the Parole Board, any suggestion that a clearly qualified candidate lacks the multidisciplinary and rehabilitative expertise needed is misplaced. In fact, we believe what the Board needs now is the restoration of more balanced perspectives.”
DeMore was previously a prosecutor in the Suffolk DA’s office, and he has also served as lead defense counsel in criminal and civil matters in state and federal court.
Also, in his current role as a Special Victim’s Counsel in the JAG Corps., he works closely with crime victims, representing their interests in military court proceedings.
“We support Vincent J. DeMore’s nomination for the Parole Board because he embodies the character and experience necessary to make fair and just parole decisions,” Hayden wrote. “His long and distinguished career as a respected member of the military and JAG Corps, experienced prosecutor and accomplished defense attorney makes him uniquely qualified. We know Vince’s reputation is above reproach.”
The annual pay rate for Parole Board members is now $157,533 — up from $155,405 last year, according to the statewide payroll database.
Current board members have backgrounds in probation, recovery services, psychology, mental health and substance use disorders, social work, and criminal defense.
State House News Service was used in this report.
