The Maryland Parole Commission failed to act justly despite Byron Greene's #336-433 record and rehabilitation. In August 2025, as I attended a Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative, I questioned the parole's board's ability to use their discretion in making parole decisions. Chairman Ernest Eley, Maryland Parole Commission requested that someone get my email address, and he would respond to me personally. Today, September 26, 2025, I still have not heard from him, even though I wrote him an email on August 25th reminding him of his statement.
The handling of Byron Greene’s parole eligibility is a tragic example of the Maryland Parole Commission’s incompetence and disregard for justice.
When I personally called the Maryland Parole Commission to ask if Byron was eligible, I was told “yes.” When I pressed further and asked if he would have even been informed had I not called, the response was chilling: “Sometimes we do, and sometimes we don’t.” Only after my persistence did they begrudgingly add him to the next hearing schedule.
Even then, the dysfunction continued. A staff member at Eastern Correctional Institution told Byron that he had actually been eligible for parole a year earlier—yet no one informed him. When he finally appeared before the parole hearing officer, she admitted that he wasn’t even on her schedule and became visibly agitated. Instead of reviewing Byron’s exemplary institutional record—15 years without a single infraction, over 20 completed courses, mentoring and caregiving for others—she spent the hearing reciting his charges, ignoring the man he has become.
Despite the fact that she and three other parole commissioners concluded that Byron was “low risk” for parole, they denied him release. Why? Because of Maryland’s antiquated and unjust Mandatory Minimum Laws. If these outdated laws prevent the Commission from granting parole even to those they deem low-risk, then one must ask: WHY DID THEY EVEN SCHEDULE A HEARING?
This is incompetence in high definition. It is an insult not only to Byron, but to every Maryland taxpayer who expects fairness, accountability, and common sense from our parole system. It is long past time to dismantle this broken structure and replace it with a system that truly measures rehabilitation, restoration, and readiness for freedom.
Byron was sentenced to 50 years—a punishment wildly out of line with similar cases. His trial was riddled with misconduct and bias. Maryland must reckon with the injustice that has stolen decades from an innocent man.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
CTA: Contact your local elected officials and demand Byron’s case be reviewed. Share this petition with your community and add your voice to the call for justice.
Rev. Jamesina Greene
A Mother's Cry