A court-ordered de novo hearing for an inmate repeatedly denied parole did not change the result, but did prompt a more detailed explanation for why the Board of Parole believes Michael West is a poor candidate for release.
The parole board was directed by Supreme Court Justice Richard Mott (See Profile) of Columbia County to grant West a new hearing after the judge said the most recent “boilerplate decision” provided no basis, other than the instant offense, for the denial of parole, and therefore no basis for judicial scrutiny (NYLJ, Oct. 1).
