Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey appoints new head of parole board

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday appointed a corrections deputy as head of the state parole board, replacing the outgoing chair who led the board during a period of few releases.

Ivey appointed Hal Nash, the chief corrections deputy of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, as the new chairman of the three-person Board of Pardons and Paroles. He replaces Leigh Gwathney, whose term expired. Nash’s appointment is effective immediately.

Ivey selected Nash from five names submitted by legislative leaders. The governor’s office said in a statement that governor was seeking “a tough-on-crime, fair and pro-law enforcement candidate with leadership experience.”

“He has a law enforcement perspective, and he has assured me he will approach each decision fairly and with that top goal in mind, which is to keep the people of Alabama safe,” Ivey said of Nash, adding that he will build on public safety successes the state has achieved.

“This is not a position to be taken lightly. While remembering that people can choose to change for the better, this task will require weighing the safety of all the citizens of Alabama first,” Nash said in a statement.

Ivey, who appointed Gwathney to lead the board in 2019, said she was grateful to the departing chair, “who has stood firm for public safety.”

A former prosecutor for the state of Alabama, Gwathney became a target of criticism during her tenure because of the state’s low parole rate.

The percentage of inmates being granted parole fell from 53% in 2018 to a historic low of 8% in 2023. The rate has risen to about 21% so far this fiscal year. She faced criticism in October from some state lawmakers who accused her of not responding to their requests for information.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and other law enforcement officials last week urged Ivey to reappoint Gwathney, saying she had earned the trust of law enforcement.

“Ms. Gwathney has proven herself to be beyond the influence of the anti-incarceration movement, ready and willing to fight for the law-abiding citizens of this state,” Marshall wrote in a letter signed by dozens of prosecutors and police chiefs.

The low parole rate came amid an ongoing prison crisis as the state struggles with overcrowding and cannot find enough security officers to staff prisons.