Parole Board Frees Former Death Row Inmate

A convicted killer who once sat on Missouri’s death row, then had her sentence changed to life without parole, is released from prison. The little used medical parole set Faye Copeland free. Only about half of the prisoners who request a medical parole will actually qualify and only about a third of those will actually get the parole. Thirty-four people were medically paroled last year. Dennis Agniel, Chairman of the State Parole Board, says state law allows the parole even in cases of life without parole. Angiel says terminal is defined by the board as the person having only six months to live. He says the board also considers the mobility of the prisoner and the ability of the prison system to handle the ailment. And,he stresses this is not something the board does easily. Agniel says most of those who are medically paroled are released to a long-term care facility such as a nursing home.