Prof. Kevin Reitz Quoted in New York Times Regarding the Possible Role of Parole Boards in the Revisitation of Lengthy Sentences Stemming from the Superpredator Myth

A research publication written by Prof. Kevin Reitz was quoted in The New York Times article, “The Superpredator Myth Did a Lot of Damage. Courts Are Beginning to See the Light.” The article highlights the revisitation of lengthy sentences imposed during the “superpredator panic” of the 1990s. 

The included quotation comes from Reitz’s research publication, “Parole Release and Supervision: Critical Drivers of American Prison Policy,” which was co-authored by Prof. Edward Rhine and published in the January 2020 issue of the Annual Review of Criminology. In their publication, Reitz and Rhine explain that “members or entire [parole] boards have been forced to resign after a single high-profile crime committed by a released prisoner,” potentially contributing to risk aversion in parole release decisions.