A man who spent 21 years in prison for a rape and murder he did not commit is now sitting on the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles. DNA testing exonerated him and identified the actual perpetrator.
Kenneth F. Ireland was convicted of the savage rape and murder of Barbara Pelkey, when he was 16 years old. He received a 50-year sentence and spent more than half his life behind bars.
Ireland, who always declared his innocence, lost support of friends and family, and turned to the Connecticut Innocence Project (CIP). Due to the persistence of the CIP, DNA testing was performed and Ireland was exonerated of all charges, The New York Times reported on Dec. 20.
Instead of holding Connecticut’s justice system in contempt, Ireland, now 45, allowed his name to be submitted for active membership on the state’s parole board.
Ireland said, “I’ve been on the inside, and I understand the programs, the issues confronting the inmates.”
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy nominated Ireland in October 2014, and he was given a temporary position on the board. Ireland was unanimously confirmed as a full-time board member by a judiciary committee in January.
Ireland has done a lot of work assisting those who have been wrongfully convicted. During this process, Ireland got to know the dean of the University of Connecticut School of Law, Timothy S. Fisher. According to the article, Fisher was instrumental in advocating Ireland’s appointment to the board.
Fisher said, “He has a very clear-eyed understanding of the people in prison.” Fisher went on to mention that because of Ireland’s experience on the inside of prison, he has the ability to know when someone is putting on a good performance rather than demonstrating the internalization of self-help and rehabilitation.
At the time this article was reported, Ireland was presiding over a hearing which turned out to be his first test. He worked alongside a retired FBI agent, Ralph A. Murphy. Ireland’s preparation was apparent. The hearings were held to address the revocations of parole for 11 men. None was released to the community.
While parole revocation hearings are not as detailed as a regular court hearing, they can be as intimidating for the inmate. The panel members have the power to grant an inmate parole or revoke the inmate’s parole and send him/her back to lockup for a number of months to years, and the panel’s decisions are final.
Vivien Blackford, a member of the Connecticut Sentencing Commission, was the first person to pitch the idea of Ireland serving on the board. She said, “Having been in prison, he brings so much to the board because he understands the experience, the perspectives, and the reasons that people do what they do.”
In January, the state of Connecticut awarded Ireland $6 million for his wrongful incarceration.