This Week From Del. Matt Fariss

As Sen. Mark Obenshain said recently during the Senate session, something is foul at the Virginia Parole Board, even beyond the situation surrounding Vincent Martin.

We now know of at least six other instances of legal and procedural violations at the Virginia Parole Board. Unfortunately, we have limited information about what these violations are. Reporters submitted FOIA requests for the reports and were given completely redacted pages yet again.

When Republican leaders asked for the files, they were given watered down summaries — and to date, the Office of State Inspector General has refused to release the full reports. Even the watered downs summaries make it clear that the board has not been contacting victims and families and has been violating other procedures as well.

The law is clear — the reports must be turned over.

There’s more to this story in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Pick up a copy or subscribe at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to view the full article in the e-edition version.