Barnard will lead Parole Board for a fifth term

ATLANTA – The State Board of Pardons and Paroles today elected Terry E. Barnard to a fifth term as Parole Board Chairman and Brian Owens was re-elected Vice Chairman, for a second term. Barnard and Owens will serve for Fiscal Year 2020 beginning July 1, 2019.

Barnard becomes the first parole board member to serve as chairman for more than four years since 2006. Barnard served three consecutive one-year terms from 2014 to 2017, and his fourth term this current fiscal year.

Barnard says he’s humbled to serve again as chairman.

“The board has important public safety responsibilities. Each member serves with integrity and commitment to ensure we make the best possible decisions in order to make our communities safer.  I am honored to serve again in this capacity,” stated Barnard.

Barnard is only the sixth chairman to serve more than four years in the leadership role among the Board’s twenty-four (24) chairs since the agency was created in 1943. Follow this link to see all members who served as chair; https://pap.georgia.gov/past-chairs-state-board-pardons-and-paroles.

Parole Board Members are full-time state employees. They are appointed by the Governor to seven year terms subject to confirmation by the State Senate. Board Members determine which parole eligible offenders will be released to serve the remainder of their prison sentence under community supervision. They may issue pardons, restore political and civil rights, restore firearm rights and the Board is the only authority in Georgia that can commute a death sentence to life with or without parole eligibility.

Terry E. Barnard, Chairman, has been a member of the Board since May 2010 and was re-appointed in 2017 by Governor Deal to a second seven-year term as a member of the Parole Board. Barnard served nearly sixteen years in the state legislature prior to his appointment to the Parole Board. Among his many legislative committee appointments, he served six years as Chairman of the State Institutions and Property Committee. For a complete bio follow this link https://pap.georgia.gov/terry-e-barnard-chairman.

Brian Owens, Vice Chairman, began his career as a parole officer in Georgia. He joined the Department of Corrections in 1999 and was later appointed to Assistant Commissioner prior to being appointed the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections by Governor Perdue. He was re-appointed Commissioner by Governor Deal. He was appointed to the Parole Board in February of 2015. For a complete bio follow this link https://pap.georgia.gov/brian-owens

For more information please contact Steve Hayes, Communications Director, at 404-657-9450 or [email protected] and visit our website at www.pap.georgia.gov.