Audit: Parole Officers Keep Reporting on Offenders After They Died

In more than 80 cases, Tennessee parole officers continued to file reports after an offender’s death. That’s according to a new audit from the State Comptroller’s office.

In most cases, the officers didn’t have to make contact with a parolee—they just had to see if their names appeared in arrest records.
In one instance, an officer kept reporting on a parolee, 19 years after his death. The audit says there are only two cases where it appears parole officers deliberately lied about an offender’s status after they died. Auditors found other issues with the parole board, including lax supervision of some sex offenders and inadequate notice of public meetings. Board officials says they will adopt all of the audit’s recommendations for improvement, including requiring officers to regularly check death records.

Read the full report here. [PDF]