Comedian and actor Bill Cosby has been in prison since 2018 following his conviction on sexual assault charges. His sentence of three to ten years still has a way to go but he was eligible to apply for parole this year, which he did. As it turns out, Cosby won’t be heading home any time soon because the parole board rejected the request. They cited several reasons, all of which make sense, but his attorneys continue to maintain that he was innocent and he’s been framed. So what happens next? Probably nothing for at least the next year or so. (CBS Philadelphia)
Bill Cosby’s request for parole has been denied. The Pennsylvania Parole Board turned down the former comedian’s attempt on May 11, citing a number of reasons for their decision…
A spokesperson for Cosby says the denial is not surprising as he continues to proclaim his innocence.
Cosby was convicted on sexual assault charges in 2018. He was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.
If Cosby seriously wants to be released early he doesn’t seem to be doing much to help his own cause. The Department of Corrections issued a negative recommendation regarding his possible parole, suggesting that he hasn’t exactly been a model prisoner. On top of that, he was ordered to participate in a rehabilitation program for sex offenders and violence prevention. He has refused to take part in the program. There was also a required “parole release plan” that he was supposed to develop and submit. He failed to do that also.
I’m not sure what sort of legal advice Cosby is getting, but either it’s not very good or he’s simply refusing to listen to his attorneys. A guy of his age and in his position really shouldn’t have that much trouble getting released on parole. But you’ve got to at least make the effort to look like you’re being cooperative and taking the system seriously. They aren’t going to buy the idea that you’re somehow rehabilitated if you won’t even show up for the training sessions.
Cosby is still sticking to his story and proclaiming his innocence. I suppose that’s why he doesn’t want to enter the program since it would make him look like he’s admitting his guilt and actually needs rehabilitation. According to his attorney, none of this came as a surprise to Cosby. The staff at the prison had reportedly been telling him for months that if he didn’t attend the rehabilitation sessions, he was going to be denied.
“The news that Actor and Comedian Bill Cosby’s parole has been “denied” by the Pennslyvania State Parole Board is not a surprise to Mr. Cosby, his family, his friends and/or his legal team,” Wyatt said in a statement. “It was brought to our attention by Mr. Cosby that over the past months, members of the PA State Parole Board had met with him and empathically stated, ‘if he did not participate in SVP courses that his parole would be denied.'”
Cosby is still waiting for his appeals to work their way through the courts, but that seems like a long shot also. It just seems to me that he might want to swallow his pride and go through the required steps. Otherwise, he could be spending the rest of his life behind bars. The guy is already 83 years old and reportedly not in the best of health. If he has to stay behind bars for seven more years that could turn out to be something of a challenge to survive.
