This is the second time a state court has held the board in contempt for refusing to follow the law. If the Court of Appeals uphold these rulings, it could help force the board to use parole as intended: not to minimize the seriousness of a crime, but to acknowledge that the person who committed it can change and deserves a chance to rejoin society. Under the New York Parole Board’s kneejerk approach, this is far too often an empty promise.