When someone you love is serving a prison sentence in Georgia, parole can feel confusing, stressful, and out of reach. Families often want to know when their loved one may be considered for parole, what the Georgia Parole Board looks at, and whether anything can be done to help.
A Georgia parole lawyer can help families understand the parole process, review the status of the case, identify important information, correct errors in sentencing calculations, get proper credit for time served and prepare a thorough parole presentation for the Board.
At The Law Firm of Abbi S. Taylor, known as The Parole Goddess, we help families prepare organized, thorough, and insightful parole presentations. The goal is to make sure the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles has clear, accurate, and helpful positive information about the incarcerated person, their accomplishments, their rehabilitation, and their plans for the future.
Georgia parole is not like a courtroom hearing. In most cases, the Board is not hearing live testimony from family members, friends, or witnesses. The process is largely file-based.
That means the Board reviews the person’s case file, information prepared by its investigator, the Crime Severity Level (“CSL”), the guidelines for that CSL, any victim, DA, Judge or community objections and the information submitted by an attorney, if any.
This is why preparation matters. If the file is incomplete, outdated, confusing, or missing important context, that can affect the person’s parole review. The Board may have records about the offense, sentence, criminal history, prison conduct, and other official information. The Board does NOT gather positive information about the incarcerated person, their accomplishments or community support.
That positive information must be organized and presented. As an experienced parole lawyer, Abbi can help make sure the Board receives a clearer picture of the person being considered for parole — not just the crime, sentence, or record, but also context for the conviction (when appropriate), their rehabilitation, accomplishments, support system, and plans for life after release.
A Georgia parole lawyer helps families understand what stage the case is in, what information may be important, and what can be submitted to the Board.
Depending on the case, Abbi may help with:
The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles has complete discretion on whether to grant parole and whether to give credit for any PIC (Performance Incentive Credit) points that may have been earned.
Abbi can help make sure the Board has complete, accurate, organized, positive and helpful information before making a decision information before they make a decision.
Abbi S. Taylor was honored to be interviewed by 11Alive regarding the parole implications of Colin Gray’s 15-year prison sentence. During the interview, she explained how Georgia’s Crime Severity Level, risk score, and parole guidelines may influence how much of a sentence an individual is required to serve.
The interview also gave Abbi an opportunity to provide accurate information about the Georgia parole process and help correct common misinformation surrounding parole eligibility, sentencing guidelines, and release decisions.
To learn more about the case and Abbi’s explanation of how Georgia parole guidelines may affect the amount of time served, read the complete coverage: 11Alive article about Colin Gray’s sentence and Georgia parole guidelines featuring Abbi S. Taylor.
One of the most important things families need to understand is that Georgia parole is usually not handled like a court hearing.
In court, a lawyer may argue directly to a judge. In Georgia parole consideration, the process is different. The parole file is the center of the review.
The Board may review information from many sources, including courts, police, prison records, institutional conduct reports, victim input, prior criminal history, programming, risk information, and release planning.
The Board will not have a full picture of the person’s progress, growth, accountability, family support, or plans for a successful transition back into the community, unless that information is prepared and presented in an organized and thorough way. That is where a parole presentation becomes important.
A Georgia parole presentation is an organized submission prepared for the review by the Parole Board. It is not simply a family letter-writing campaign. It is not a courtroom argument. It is a structured presentation designed to give the Board helpful information about the incarcerated person and their life moving forward.
Every individual is different, and every parole presentation should be unique to that person’s situation.
The goal is not to overwhelm the Board with volume. The goal is to make important information easy to understand.
The Board may already have a large amount of official information about the case. That information may include the offenses (even those that were not convictions), sentence, criminal history, disciplinary history, and institutional records.
Official records do not tell the whole story. They may not show the context or circumstances of the underlying conviction. They may not fully show the person’s rehabilitation. They may not explain the person’s support system. They may not show what programs have been completed, what has changed, or what kind of plan is in place when the person is released.
A strong parole presentation helps fill those numerous gaps. It provides positive, organized, and practical information about who the person is now, what they have done while incarcerated, and what support will be available in the community.
Families often hear parole terms before they understand what they mean, and those terms can affect when and how a parole presentation should be prepared. Georgia parole law uses several terms to explain how the parole process works.
A PED, or Parole Eligibility Date, does not mean the person will be released. It means the person is eligible for the Board to establish a future tentative parole month. A TPM, or Tentative Parole Month, is also not a guaranteed release date. It is a tentative future month for parole, and release may still depend on final review, good conduct, program completion, Board discretion, or other conditions.
Abbi can help the family understand where the case actually stands. That matters because the right approach may be different if the person is approaching parole eligibility, already has a TPM, is waiting on Final Review, has been denied parole, or is trying to prepare for reconsideration.
A parole presentation should be built around the person’s actual status, timeline, and review posture rather than assumptions about what a PED or TPM means.
Yes. In most cases, it is helpful to begin preparing a year before the PED. Ideally, Abbi likes to make the presentation 6 months before the individual's PED.
If the Board is still reviewing the case, this may be an important time to make sure the file is accurate and that helpful positive information is available. If the Board has not yet made its decision, a well-prepared parole presentation may help provide important context and support and information that would not otherwise be available to the Board.
Abbi will help by reviewing the status of the case, explaining the timing, and determine what information may be useful before the Board makes or finalizes a decision.
A parole denial can be heartbreaking for a family. But denial does not always mean there is nothing left to do.
Abbi can review the case and determine whether reconsideration makes sense. Reconsideration may be appropriate when there is new information, corrected information, additional rehabilitation, improved institutional conduct, a stronger release plan, or meaningful developments that were not previously presented.
The next submission should usually offer something useful, new, better organized, or more complete.
Simply repeating the same request is not enough. A stronger approach is to identify what may have been missing, what has changed, and what should be presented more clearly.
In addition, the Board will review the person’s case for Final Review to decide whether they get credit for their PIC points and if they will make the person’s TPM their PIC date. It can be helpful to have an attorney assist with a presentation at that time to ensure that the Board has current positive information to balance any victim objections or other negative information they are considering.
PIC points (Performance Incentive Credits)- A person can earn up to 12 PIC points based on course completions, work details and other positive, rehabilitative actions. There will be a Final Review within 90 days of the PIC date (TPM minus the PIC points) to see if they will give the person credit for their PIC points and move their TPM to their PIC date.
Families often want to help, but they may not know what information matters.
The strongest, most effective family support is practical and well organized. The Board needs to understand what life would look like if the person is released.
Abbi and her team will work with the family and the individual to build the strongest presentation for the Board's consideration. A clear release plan is extremely helpful.
If your loved one is being considered for parole in Georgia, you do not have to guess your way through the process.
The Law Firm of Abbi S. Taylor, known as The Parole Goddess, helps families understand the parole process and prepare for parole review. Her team will help you understand PEDs and TPMs, organize positive information, develop parole presentation materials, and address reconsideration issues when appropriate.
A Georgia parole lawyer helps families understand the parole process, reviews the case status, identifies helpful information, and prepares a structured parole presentation for the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles.
No. A lawyer cannot guarantee parole. The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles has complete discretion on whether or not to grant parole. A lawyer can help make sure the Board has clear, accurate, positive and helpful information when reviewing the case.
Georgia parole decisions are generally not handled like courtroom hearings. The Board reviews the case file, the case information prepared by its investigator, victim or DA objections to parole, the criminal history, the Crime Severity Level, the parole guidelines, and submitted information from an attorney, if any.
A Georgia parole presentation is an organized submission prepared for parole review. It may include information about rehabilitation, institutional conduct, completed programs, family support, housing, employment possibilities, treatment plans, and the person’s future release plan.
The parole file is the center of the review. If the file is incomplete, outdated, confusing, or missing important context, it can affect the parole decision. A parole lawyer can help identify issues and prepare helpful information for the Board.
A PED is a Parole Eligibility Date. It does not mean the person will be released on that date. It means the person may be eligible for parole consideration for their future TPM, depending on the sentence, offense, and applicable Georgia parole guidelines.
A TPM is a Tentative Parole Month. It is not a final release date. It means the Board has set a tentative month for parole, but release may still depend on final review, conduct, program completion, or other conditions.
Yes. A lawyer may be able to review the denial and determine whether reconsideration makes sense. Reconsideration may be appropriate when there is new information, corrected information, additional rehabilitation, improved institutional conduct, or a stronger release plan.
Family support can matter, but Georgia parole preparation should not be treated as a casual letter-writing campaign. Support information should be organized in a way that helps the Board understand the person’s rehabilitation, support system, and release plan.
It is essential to contact a Georgia parole lawyer before the Board completes its review, before submitting information, after receiving a TPM, or after a parole denial. The right timing depends on the person’s sentence, PED, TPM status, and parole review posture.
The ideal time to start is a year before the PED. If you are already beyond that, contact us to see what might still be able to be done.
If you have questions about parole or other post-conviction proceedings, we are here to help. Contact us today to schedule a case evaluation.
Over the years, we have had the honor of defending hundreds of clients in court and parole hearings. Here are just a few things they have to say about us.
Abbi is an amazing lawyer. We hired her for my dad’s parole/probation case. Abbi’s results exceeded our family’s expectations. Seeing her in action in the courtroom was inspiring. In addition, her office staff is extremely professional and responsive. Thank you, Abbi and Linda.
I originally retained Abbi to represent me before the State Board of Pardons and Parole and help me obtain an early parole date for a level 8 criminal conviction. While the Parole Board's guidelines for my crime required me to serve at least 65% of my sentence, the Parole Board granted me parole approximately 6 months early. I attribute this to the unwavering support of my family and Abbi's considerable efforts.
If I could rate Abbi Taylor@ 100 stars I would. Thank you Abbi Taylor and your staff for your professionalism, hard work and legal expertise in representing me. Your successful results with my being granted early parole was beyond all my expectations. I am thrilled and so grateful to be back home with my family and much earlier than I ever could have hoped for.
Abbi knows her stuff, is patient, thorough and compassionate. She took the time to explain the parole process in detail and provided support before, during and after the decision. I am very happy with the outcome but also the professionalism and responsiveness from Abbi and Linda. I Highly recommend this firm!
I came to Ms Taylor thinking that my criminal background was destroyed. I'm a responsible adult that made a bad decision at a very emotional time in my life. This lady has a great interaction with her clients. I was able to feel free to express what and why I needed her services. Sharp doesn't begin to describe her. I will never forget that she was sent by God to help me. You can not go wrong with Ms Taylor.
I can not speak more highly of Abbi and her abilities. I was finding myself very quickly in a quicksand situation and she was able to help come in to provide guidance, clarity and manage the situation. If you find yourself in a situation that you think even for a second might need some legal advice - please do not think to call anyone else but Abbi.
Contact our office today to begin the process of scheduling an initial case evaluation. Prior to scheduling your case evaluation, we will require the receipt of all necessary documents. Case evaluations are $250 and will be credited toward the cost of representation.
To assist us in developing the BEST strategy for your case, we need to review pertinent documents.
Our process is simple:
- You provide the necessary documents
- We evaluate the case status and strengths
- We present strategies for achieving your goals
In a 30-minute session, we provide an explanation of the relevant proceedings, help you prioritize available options, and provide a road map to move forward with our representation, including details about possible fees.
The meeting fee is non-refundable but will be credited if we are hired.
If you need assistance in gathering the necessary documents, please contact documentretrievals@gmail.com. The fees for this service are not affiliated with our representation.
This is a separate business that we use to obtain documents.
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1479 Brockett Road
Tucker, GA 30084
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