Who May Attend a Parole Suitability Hearing

In addition to the Board’s commissionersand deputy commissioners, others who may participate in a parole suitability hearing include the incarcerated person, the person’s attorney, a representative from the district attorney’s office that prosecuted the incarcerated person, victims, victims’ next of kin,  and members of a victim’s family who have registered with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services. Victims and victims’ next of kin, and their family members may have the right to have a representative, support person, and an attorney attend the hearing. For more information about victims’ rights and the parole suitability hearing process for victims and their families, please visit CDCR’s Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services or call toll-free 1-877-256-6877. A language interpreter may attend a parole hearing too, if needed for the incarcerated person, and correctional officers will be in the hearing room for security purposes.

The Board’s executive officer or designee may also authorize members of the public to observe a parole suitability hearing to learn more about the parole hearing process. Observers may not have a personal or professional interest in the case, nor may they know the incarcerated person, victim, victim’s family, or any other hearing participant. The observation request must be for a hearing scheduled to occur a minimum of two weeks in the future. Personal information (Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Driver’s License/Passport) may be required for security clearance to an institution.

If you are a member of the public and wish to observe a hearing for educational and informational purposes, please send a request to BPHHearingObservations@cdcr.ca.gov.

Media access to parole hearings 

Media access to parole hearings is governed by the California Code of Regulations, title 15, sections 2031 and 2032. The executive officer may authorize credentialed members of the media to attend a parole hearing. Requests to attend parole suitability hearings must be submitted at least three working days prior to the date of the hearing.

If you are a member of the media and wish to observe a hearing, please send a request to the CDCR Office of Public and Employee Communications at opec@cdcr.ca.gov .