Virginia Parole Board Commits Fraud by Michael W. Owens

(Note: The following blog is the opinion of Michael W. Owens, a prison inmate at the Beaumont Correctional Center in Beaumont, Virginia. Mr. Owens’ opinions are not necessarily shared by Inmate Blogger or its staff. We aim to give inmates a voice to express their feelings, beliefs, and frustrations with the legal system (or in this case, with the parole board). Mr. Owens has done just that. No allegations made by Mr. Owens have yet been proven, and all persons named in this blog are assumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.)

Greetings! What I’m about to reveal is not only for the world to know, but it is for the tax-paying citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is their tax-paying dollars that funds the salaries of state officials who take the oath of office to serve the citizens with honesty and with integrity.

The current chair of the Virginia Parole Board is Patricia West; she was recently appointed chair by Governor Glenn Youngkin after CHadwick Dotson was promoted to Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections after a short tenure as Chair of the Virginia Parole Board.

Ms. West has committed a crime of FRAUD. I have evidence to show that this offense was committed. I respectfully show as follows:

1. I was denied parole for the 25th time. When I received my denial letter from the parole board, it was certified on November 22, 2022. At that time, Chadwick Dotson was the chair of the parole board. he also signed this letter. Although the board had the option to defer my case to either two or three years, Mr. Dotson chose not to defer. This meant that I would’ve been seen the following year, which was 2023. (It is important to note that in 1977, Sec. 53-232 of the Virginia Code was amended, which stated: “Unless there be reasonable cause for extension of the time within which to review and decide his case, the Board shall review and decide the case of each prisoner during the part of the calendar year which he becomes for parole and thereafter during the same part of each ensuing calendar year until he is released on parole or otherwise…The Board may in addition and in its discretion review the case of any prisoner eligible for parole at any other time.” See Grimm v. Jackson 849 F. Supp. 1127 (W.D. Va. 1994). It was clear that the parole board had powers to defer given to them by the Virginia General Assembly. However, it wasn’t until January 1, 1993 when the Parole Board implemented the policy in its operating procedures. This was when the Parole Board started issuing two and three-year deferrals.
2. In October of 2023, I made an inquiry to my treatment department (Beaumont Correctional Center) in regards to whether my name was on the parole board docket for the fourth quarter. (In Virginia, parole cases are divided into four quarters, those cases will be determined when a prisoner was classified in the Virginia Department of Corrections. In m y case, I was classified in September of 1986. So, the fourth quarter starts in September and ends in December).
3. In their response, the treatment department noted that my name “was not on the docket for the fourth quarter.”
4. I did not agree with the response for reasons that I had Mr. Dotson’s letter (which was the ORIGINAL letter) denying me parole for the year 2022, and it listed NO DEFERRAL! I asked treatment to get in contact with the parole board to find out what was going on.
5. Before I continue, I will not that Ms. West had just been appointed Parole Board Chair. So, when the board responded, they sent treatment a denial letter. I must stress the fact that this letter noted a THREE-YEAR DEFERRAL! And, it had Mr. Dotson’s signature on it! Mr. Dotson DID NOT defer me, it was Ms. West that CHANGED the language in Mr. Dotson’s letter and ADDED the three-year deferral. Ms. West was not the parole board chair at the time and had no authority to do this. This is part one of the fraud.
6. Part two of the fraud incriminates Ms. West. When I applied for Geriatric parole by petition (Sec. 53.1-40.01 of the Code of Virginia shall consider the conditional release from incarceration any geriatric prisoner who committed his or her felony offense other than a class one felony, and who is 65 years of age or older, and who has served a minimum of 5 years of his or her sentence, or is 60 years of age or older, and has served a minimum of 10 years of his or her sentence).
7. Ms. West denied the petition, stating that when I was denied parole in 2022, Geriatric and Discretionary parole reviews were included in this 2022 denial of parole. The virginia General Assembly has no legislation authorizing dual parole hearings; this is illegal! As Geriatric petitions for conditional parole release govern medical issues. Or, seeking parole on medical grounds regarding health issues. Then, Ms. West attaches a denial letter to the document in my request for geriatric release with HER signature on it. This is the glaring question that seals this person’s fate: 

In closing, this is a blatant act of fraud on the part of a Virginia State Parole Board official. With this post, I am reaching out to all law firms in the Commonwealth of Virginia that specialize in parole and probation law. I am seeking damages against Patricia West in the amount of $100,000,000.00 for fraud, mental anguish, and emotional distress. She denied me the opportunity to see the parole board in 2023. She has also caused mental anguish and emotional distress on my family by arbitrarily deferring me in making me stay in prison longer. I am 67 years old. I do not deserve this. I do not know if I’ll be alive to see any parole board. This is a plea for my life. I need help.

Sincerely,

Michael W. Owens