State plans to post requests with parole board on Internet

ATLANTA - Governor Roy Barnes says the state will begin posting to the Internet all requests the state parole board gets from legislators and others seeking special consideration for individual inmates. <br> <br> It&#39;s a major policy change for the state&#39;s troubled clemency board, which is under increased scrutiny. One lawmaker is under indictment on charges he took a contribution in exchange for helping to get a convicted murderer moved to a less-secure prison. <br> <br> Barnes made the announcement Wednesday after swearing in Mike Light, his second appointee to the board in recent weeks. Barnes said his advice to anyone thginking of making a special request &#39;&#39;(L)eave the parole board alone. Allow them to do their job.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The postings will begin August 1. The website has not been announced. <br> <br> Barnes says the policy will apply to elected officials and the general public and will shed light on the parole process and prevent abuses. <br> <br> The agency is at the center of a political firestorm that has spilled over into Barnes&#39; re-election campaign. <br> <br> The board&#39;s files are filled with requests from lawmakers asking them to review specific inmates. Many lawmakers argue they simply are passing along requests from prisoners&#39; friends or families and defend the practice as constituent service rather than political pressure.