Craven to retire, Otter names new Pardons & Parole chief
Olivia Craven, executive director of the state Commission of Pardons and Parole since 1984, is retiring in mid-August, and today Gov. Butch Otter named her replacement: Sandy Jones, who now heads up jail re-entry programs and alternative sentencing for the Ada County Sheriff's Office. “Sandy’s impressive work establishing processes and managing the startup of a misdemeanor probation program for Idaho’s most populous county, as well as her enthusiasm for and understanding of what’s at stake in implementing Idaho’s Justice Reinvestment efforts to reduce the number of offenders returning to prison after their release, make her an excellent choice for executive director,” Otter said in a statement; click below for his full announcement.
Pardons & Parole is in the midst of a "significant transition," Otter said, with the start of Idaho's new justice reinvestment program, which will try to better monitor offenders on probation and parole while reserving prison cells for the most dangerous criminals; the hope is to save millions in costs to build new prisons. “Almost everyone in our prisons eventually gets out," Jones said. "Whether they succeed in society is up to them, but our job is to carefully assess when they are ready and help commissioners make good decisions about maximizing the chances of success while minimizing the risk to the public.”
She added, “I am a reentry person, so I’m looking forward to being a part of making the Justice Reinvestment reforms and our supervision system work.”
C.L. “Butch” Otter
GOVERNOR
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 17, 2014
GOVERNOR OTTER NAMES SUCCESSOR TO LONG-TIME PARDONS AND PAROLE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced today that Sandy Jones, head of Jail Reentry Programs and Alternative Sentencing for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, will be the next executive director of the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole.
She previously was responsible for setting up and running Ada County Misdemeanor Probation Services for Sheriff Gary Raney. She will start her new job managing day-to-day operations and administrative support for the five-member Commission of Pardons and Parole in mid-August with the retirement of long-time Executive Director Olivia Craven.
“Sandy’s impressive work establishing processes and managing the startup of a misdemeanor probation program for Idaho’s most populous county, as well as her enthusiasm for and understanding of what’s at stake in implementing Idaho’s Justice Reinvestment efforts to reduce the number of offenders returning to prison after their release, make her an excellent choice for executive director,” Governor Otter said. “I’m confident she will work effectively with the Department of Correction, the courts and other criminal justice stakeholders to save taxpayer dollars while ensuring public safety and successfully returning offenders to Idaho communities.”
Jones has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology. She will take over management of an agency with 33 employees and a $2.8 million annual budget. Pardons and Parole also is in the middle of a significant transition with the Justice Reinvestment law championed by Governor Otter and approved by the Legislature this year. The reforms emphasize prioritizing lower-risk offenders for release and more closely and effectively supervising their behavior while on parole to reduce the incidence of violations or new offenses.
“Almost everyone in our prisons eventually gets out. Whether they succeed in society is up to them, but our job is to carefully assess when they are ready and help commissioners can make good decisions about maximizing the chances of success while minimizing the risk to the public,” Jones said. “I am a reentry person, so I’m looking forward to being a part of making the Justice Reinvestment reforms and our supervision system work.”
Craven has been executive director at Pardons and Parole since July 1984. She previously worked for the Idaho Supreme Court for two years and the Idaho Department of Correction for eight years.
“I’m grateful for Olivia’s career-long commitment to criminal justice, and to faithfully serving the people of Idaho in this important but often thankless position,” Governor Otter said.
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