Thomas “Tahaka” Gaither was out on parole when then-Gov. Glenn Dennis of Maryland revoked parole for all persons convicted of a life sentence. Since the late 1990s, Gaither has remained incarcerated—despite once having been deemed fit for release. His story is not unusual for those who’ve experienced Maryland’s parole system. Since 2015, barely half of 523 parole-eligible prisoners serving life sentences have had their cases reviewed, and just 76 have been released. A new study from the Justice Policy Institute, Safe at Home: Improving Maryland’s Parole Release Decision-Making, identifies the problems with the system and attempts to map solutions.

Tara Gaither, daughter of Thomas Gaither, and Shekhinah Braveheart of the Justice Policy Institute join Rattling the Bars to discuss Maryland’s parole system.

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