Two recent cases in which men paroled from multiple life sentences went on to re-offend has a member of the Massachusetts Governor’s Council questioning whether the state needs to scrap the entire parole system, says the Salem (MA) News. Mary Ellen Manning, e member of the board that approves judicial and parole board appointments, said the system “is a sad mess” that ought to be replaced with something similar to the federal parole system. Sentencing ought to be done within strict guidelines, she believes.
The arrest last week of Charles “Chucky” Doucette, 51, on domestic abuse charges raised questions about the parole board’s controversial 2006 decision to parole him. Doucette was serving seven life sentences for an execution-style shooting and a pair of home invasions he committed while out on bail awaiting a retrial. He received a second-degree murder conviction, making him parole-eligible after 15 years. Doucette made parole on his first try and was released in 2007, over the objections of two parole board members and prosecutors, who argued against his release.