Atlanta, GA - Today, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles elected leadership for the next fiscal year. Current Parole Board Chairman Albert Murray was again elected to the position by the Board and Vice Chairman Terry Barnard was re-elected vice chairman. Murray and Barnard will serve in the leadership roles for the agency through June 30, 2014. The new term will begin July 1, 2013.

Murray says he’s honored to be elected chairman for the next year by his colleagues on the Parole Board.

“Leadership at any level is a great honor, but to serve as chairman of the Georgia Parole Board has special meaning because of my colleagues on the Board, all of whom are tremendous leaders. Over the past year, I have had the honor to serve as chairman alongside a group of the best state employees who make up the State Board of Pardons and Paroles,” stated Murray.

He added, “The Parole Board will continue to serve all Georgians through careful and thorough parole considerations and effective supervision of parolees in our communities. Crime victims will always be an important part of the process. It’s also an exciting time to be in this role, as Georgia, under Governor Nathan Deal’s leadership, moves forward with criminal justice reform.”

Murray has served on the Board since his appointment in May 2010. He served as vice chairman of the Parole Board from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2012. Previous to his appointment to the Board, Murray was Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and he remains the longest serving juvenile justice commissioner in Georgia history.

A major accomplishment as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice was the completion of all requirements for the release from the agency’s memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2009, ending eleven years of federal oversight of the system.

Murray’s distinguished career began in his native state of Tennessee where he served the youth of that state with the Department of Children Services and the Department of Youth Development and was promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Juvenile Services. In 1996, he was appointed the first commissioner of the newly created Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority. His six years of service makes him the longest serving commissioner of that agency as well.  In 2003, he was a Deputy Commissioner with the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Murray has served for many years in several capacities as a member of the American Correctional Association (ACA), and in 2009 he received the ACA’s Cass Award for lifetime achievement.  Murray graduated cum laude with a master’s degree in Education from Middle Tennessee State University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Tennessee State University. He lives in Rockdale County.

Barnard re-elected vice chairman

Terry Barnard joined the Parole Board in May 2010 after nearly sixteen years in the state legislature as a State Representative. Barnard served on key committees including Appropriations, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Children and Youth, Rules, and State Institutions and Property, where he served as committee chairman for six years. Barnard served as a key legislator regarding legislation impacting the Georgia Department of Corrections. In 1995-1996, he guided through the Georgia House the framework for the State Sex Offender Registry and Sexual Offenders Review Board.

“I am once again, extremely honored and humbled that I’ve been asked to serve the Board as vice chairman. The past year has been rewarding and I look forward to another year of working with staff to accomplish a continued goal of making this agency the best paroling authority in the nation,” stated Barnard.

Barnard is a native of Tattnall County and now lives in McIntosh County. He is a graduate of Atlantic Community College and has a strong background in business. He has owned and operated several businesses, among those a Real Estate Brokerage. With over eighteen years of experience in the financial industry, he served as Vice President and Manager of First Citizens Bank of Reidsville, and as a Regional Marketing Director for Green Tree Acceptance, a national mortgage lender.

Parole Board Members are full-time employees of the agency, appointed by the governor to seven-year, staggered terms. Board Members are constitutional officers who have sole discretion to vote on the release of Georgia prison inmates. The Board is Georgia’s only statutory power to commute a death sentence.

Board Member bios are available at www.pap.georgia.gov

Media requesting interviews or a photograph, please contact Steve Hayes at 404-657-9450

[email protected]

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