Parole denial

Parole Hearing scheduled for 1-18-08


RE: Parole for Rufus West #225213
Rufus is a prisoner at Columbia Correctional Institution. I have known him from his days at WSPF and visited him throughout his ordeal there. He had trouble following the rules at first due to his physical and mental problems and was severely punished for each infraction. I know him as a fine gentleman with many talents who will be an asset to our society when he is released. He has been conduct report free in these last years and finally is in general population at Columbia. This man has paid dearly for the robbery he was convicted of and I ask you to seriously consider his bid for freedom and grant him parole.

Yours sincerely
Peggy Swan;29631 Wild Rose Drive; Blue River , WI 5358


Rufus West
The nature of this deferral requires the final approval of the Chairperson of the Parole Commission. This is technically your initial parole consideration since your return to prison as a parole violator with new sentences as you waived your initial appearance bade in January of 2002. However, in light of your new sentences for Armed Robbery (Masked) and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, you have not served sufficient time for punishment. The Armed Robbery that
resulted in a 28 year consecutive prison term involved an armed and masked Robbery of a woman. The firearm possession offense, that resulted in an additional 6 year sentence, involved your having this weapon in your possession and your female victim was pistol whipped. Both of these offenses occurred on different dates but you were on parole for the OAWOC at the time. You have only served about 12 years and 6 months on this new sentence structure. The Armed
Robbery case does carry PMR status and this was discussed with you today. Your problematic conduct record brought you to WSPF as far back as September of 2001. You have accumulated in excess of 80 major tickets and 40 minors. Fortunately, you have not had a major ticket for 2 years now. If you have any hope of working your way out on parole sometime in the future, you will need to stay out of further conduct difficulty, work your way through the Level Program at WSPF", complete your treatment programs and progress through the various levels of reduced security. Right now you have a great deal of work ahead of you to accomplish these goals. Your parole plan will require a change in area of supervision at some future point. Risk of release at this time is clearly unreasonable. MJH/

Comments on parole decision 2006.
On 8-8-94 at 10 p.m. a woman pulled up to her residence, got out of her car, dropped her keys, picked them up and upon standing back up she stated a Black man wearing a bandana as a mask had a gun pointed at her and told her to give him her purse and then turned around and run. She did both.
On 8-8-94 at about 10:30 pm a cop claimed he saw me running hunched over, he went to stop me, I continued running, he chased me, during the chase I tossed the purse and gun (none of my fingerprints were found on the purse or gun). He tackled me and arrested me.
A couple hours later, the cops did an on-scene show-up where they forced me to wear a bandana as a mask. During said show -up she stated I was the robber. She was later given all of her belongings back.
I was subsequently found guilty of masked armed robbery and possession of firearm and sentenced to 28 years in prison.
At my last parole hearing the commissioner stated that I pistol whipped a woman and was convicted of it. That's false. My record contained no such information/allegations, so I don't know where it came from. Even though I was eligible for parole in 2002, I waived it until 2005. The results of my last (which was also my last) parole hearing are attached. Since my last parole hearing I've gotten my HSED ( June 2007) , been released from Supermax ( July 2007), and except for a dubious ticket (still pending appeal decision on the administration level) I haven't caught any tickets. I'm unable to get a job or enroll in vocational programs due to my permanent "no work" status. I have a home to go; I have a job to go to; and most importantly, I have 4 kids to go to. The only thing more precious than my four children are the seconds that pass and I'm not with them. 13 years is a very long time to be in prison, but it's forever when you got children. Society is ready for me and I'm ready for society. The only way to prove that is by releasing me to that society.