This post was originally published on Rand’s support website here. Below is the post in its entirety.
Editors note: In January of this year Rand Gould C-187131 had his request for parole denied by the Michigan Parole Board. On April 24, 2019, Rand sent the letter below to the parole board requesting that they reverse this decision. He describes how the parole board went against their own policies in making this decision, and how they seemingly had their minds made up even before they interviewed Rand.
He is asking his supporters to read the letter below and then to email the parole board and Anthony King as soon as possible urging them to reverse their decision. If you’re only able to send one message, send it to the Parole Board contact form.
Parole Board contact form: https://www.michigan.gov/corrections/0,4551,7-119-1435_11601-372802–,00.html
Parole Board staff email: Parole-Board-Staff@michigan.gov
Anthony King’s work email: anthonyking@williamgrantandassociates.com
Anthony King’s university email: kingant@msu.edu
Rand W. Gould C-187131 24 April 2019
Harrison Correctional Facility
2727 E. Beecher Rd.
Adrian, MI 49221
Michigan Parole Board
P.O. Box 30003
Lansing, MI 48909
Re: Parole Board Notice of Decision, Anthony King, 1/15/2019
Dear Parole Board Members:
I, hereby, respectfully request you to reconsider the clearly erroneous decision reflected in the Parole Board Notice of Decision made by Anthony King on 1/15/2019 and Brian J. Shipman on 1/18/2019 (hereafter, “Decision”), because there was no “substantial and compelling reasons,” and certainly no objective ones, for departing from the Parole Guidelines’ score of a “HIGH Probability of Parole” and denying my parole. N.b. I was in formed by King, during interviews, of my guidelines’ score, but have not received a copy so I don’t know if they were scored correctly or not.
As you know, I’ve served nearly 21 years on my active sentence of 25 to 50 years for kidnapping by secret confinement, MCL 750.349, which is a lot of time for a crime where no one was seriously injured, or even hospitalized, but I’ve fully admitted to and deeply regret my actions as expressed during the interview and in my Application For Pardon or Commutation of Sentence, filed on 11/01/2017, with attached Federal Judicial Center Risk Prediction Index Hand-Calculation Worksheet scoring me at a 84.8% chance of successfully completing a parole. Moreover, in 2006, the Michigan legislature moved the “secret confinement” language section from MCL 750.349 into the unlawful imprisonment statute, MCL 750.349b, reducing the statutory maximum from Life to no more than 15 years, and I’ve already served 6 years more than that.
Almost immediately, recognizing that my drug abuse contributed to my criminal behavior and placed me in this situation, as well as harming the people around me, including the victim in my active case/sentence, I vowed not to use any drugs anymore and have not over the course of the past nearly 21 years. With zero drug involvement, I’ve no Class I Misconducts, as reflected in my Parole Eligibility Report (PER), J. Thompson, 12/05/2018, which also states: “Follows the rules and gets along with other inmates as well as staff.”
However, due to prior drug use of many years in Detroit and environs, and not wanting to put myself back into that situation, my plan was, and is, to parole to my sister’s home in Florida and continue to add to my 21 drug-free years. As you know, my sister is willing to house and support me, via her letters/emails to you, until I begin collecting Social Security (I’m 65 years old) and find a job. I am an ASME and AWS certified all positions welder, plate-fitter, mechanic, licensed nursery man and landscape designed, and, now, an ABO-certified optician, so I will be able to find work.
During the course of my nearly 21-year imprisonment, besides working at various jobs, I ran the tracks, worked-out, and stayed active and in the fresh air, so I’m healthy for my age. I’ve also completed my required programming, and then some, to wit:
- I completed the Michigan Department of Community Health HIV Test and Prevention Counseling course on 1/19/2001;
- I served on two Warden’s Forums: 1998 at LRF and 2008 at KCF;
- Per my AOP requirement, I completed the Anger Management course, run by Ms. Kirksey at NRF, on 7/25/2010
- I joined the National Lifers Group at NRF in 2010, and became an active and published advocate for prisoners’ rights;
- I completed Career and Technical Counseling at TCF on 8/12/2012;
- I completed Careerscope, Career and Technical Counseling at ARF on 6/18/2018;
- I completed WorkKeys Career and Technical Counseling at ARF on 9/18/2018;
- I completed CTE: Optical and obtained an ABO Certificate at ARF on 4/08/2018;
- When Phase II Substance Abuse was added to my program requirements in 2013, I kited repeatedly asking to be enrolled but was always told I was on a “waiting list”;
- I applied to be a Prisoner Palliative Care Aide in the Hospice Palliative Care Program on 4/13/2016, intending to give something back to the men whom I’ve grown old with over the years, but was told I had to complete Phase II Substance Abuse before I’d be considered for the position;
- I ran and finished two Russ Mervyn Marathons at KCF on 9/23/2006 and 9/29/2007.
Consequently, I’ve showed a pretty positive correctional adjustment and a good bit of program involvement. Although, I did fail community placement back in 1988, and was returned to prison in 1994 for a parole violation. Nevertheless, I successfully completed parole in 1997 and never failed “a delayed sentence opportunity” because I never received a delayed sentence.
As reflected throughout the Decision to deny me a parole, there were very many such errors, misinformation, and erroneous conclusions drawn from both good and bad information, with positive information simply overlooked or ignored, such as the PER and Parole Guidelines scoresheet, in King’s obvious rush to judgment, on or before, my parole interview on 1/15/2019, as indicated by my parole being denied on 1/15/2019, the day of my interview.
Nevertheless, everyone makes mistakes, as I well know, having made quite a few myself, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past nearly 21 years, you have to own and take responsibility for yours. I feel I’ve done that and I’d like to see Anthony King and Brian J. Shipman take responsibility for theirs and change this Decision.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Rand W. Gould
Michigan Abolition and Prisoner Solidarity 