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State changes policy on parole eligibility
Peter Vieth//July 31, 2018//
Some older Virginia inmates may get a break on parole eligibility with a change in policy by the Department of Corrections.
Previously, when an inmate’s offenses occurred both before and after Jan. 1, 1995 – the date parole was abolished – state officials deemed the inmate ineligible for discretionary parole. A Chesterfield County case led to a change, according to Fairfax attorney Jon Sheldon.
Sheldon said his client, Robert J. Dodd, was convicted of offenses that took place between 1990 and 1999. The DOC classified him as parole ineligible.
A habeas action brought a change. After Sheldon sued, the DOC consulted with the attorney general’s office, and the policy was altered.
“Absent a specific date, Dodd’s date of offenses must be construed as the earliest date in the indictments, which for all the offenses is July 1, 1990. Therefore, Dodd is eligible for parole and he will be notified of his projected discretionary parole eligibility date as soon as it is computed,” said the DOC’s Donna M. Shiflett in a June 13 affidavit.
Dodd is serving a 79-year sentence for abusing his adopted son.
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