Parole Board rulemaking records for the 2005 and 2007 Parole Decision Guidelines amendments

To the Open Records Officer:Georgia Prisoners' Speak is the public name of The GDC Accountability Project, Inc., a Georgia nonprofit investigative newsroom that documents the state's corrections and parole systems. Under the Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq., we request copies of four sets of records. All four are agency records about how the Board's own guidelines were made. None of them asks for information about any individual offender, so nothing here should touch the confidentiality of case files under O.C.G.A. § 42-9-53.1. The rulemaking record for the amendment to Board Rule 475-3-.05 filed with the Secretary of State on December 9, 2005 and effective January 1, 2006. We're asking for the notice of intended action, the portion of the minutes of the November 18, 2005 Board meeting covering the adoption of that rule, any staff memoranda or analysis prepared for the Board on it, and any written comments the Board received.2. The rulemaking record for the amendment to Board Rule 475-3-.05 filed on December 10, 2007 and effective January 1, 2008, in the same components as item 1.3. The study described on page 18 of the Board's FY2008 annual report, which states that the amendments to the Parole Decision Guidelines "were preceded by a three-year study and analysis of risk factors utilized in granting clemency to offenders, past clemency practices, and the effects of the new guidelines on prison capacity." We're asking for that study and any report, memorandum, presentation or contractor deliverable produced by it, including the analysis of the effects on prison capacity.4. Any copy in the Board's possession of the order of the Superior Court of Fulton County referenced on page 10 of the Board's FY2005 annual report, which states that a Fulton County judge ruled that "the Board's 90% policy in 1997 was implemented improperly and as a result is ineffective and has no force or effect." We understand the court is not itself subject to the Open Records Act. We're asking only for the Board's own copy of the order if one is in its files, along with the case caption or docket number if that is easier to provide than the document.Electronic delivery is best for us. PDFs sent by reply to this email are ideal, and we're happy to receive the records in batches as they become available rather than waiting for everything at once.On fees, we agree to pay reasonable charges up to $50.00. If the cost would exceed that, please let us know first, with the itemization by position, hourly rate and time that O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(d) provides for, and we'll respond promptly.If any part of a record is exempt, we understand that and ask only for the non-exempt portions with the exempt material redacted. If the scope of any item is broader than is convenient, tell us and we'll narrow it. If our description of a record doesn't match how the Board files it, we'd welcome a correction, since you know the records and we're working from the Board's own published documents.Thank you for your time on this.The GDC Accountability Project, Inc. (Georgia Prisoners' Speak) 285 W Wieuca Rd NE, PMB #4153, Atlanta, GA 30342 accountability@gps.press · https://gps.press