Posted on: Sunday, December 2, 2001

Editorial
Parole ruling must not be overused

The Hawai'i Supreme Court now has reversed a decision by the state Intermediate Court of Appeals, which held that the Hawai'i Paroling Authority cannot set minimum terms for convicted felons equal to the maximum term of the sentence allowed by law.

The point of the Paroling Authority is lost, the appeals court argued, if the minimum is the same as the maximum.

The practice actually is unusual, says Paroling Authority Chairman Al Beaver. He says prisoners have to be especially "nasty" to be "maxed out."

That seems sensible. But the practice must not become commonplace.