On January 12, 2018, the California Board of Parole Hearings granted parole to an elderly inmate named John Clutchette. However, supporters of parole for Clutchette are concerned that California Governor Jerry Brown will reverse the Board's decision, and Clutchette will not be released. Supporters have a reason to be concerned. After all, this is exactly what happened in 2016 when Clutchette was similarly granted parole by the Board but Governor Brown chose to reverse the Board's ruling.

Following extensive research, legal scholar Angela A. Allen-Bell, a professor at Southern University Law Center, and her students have concluded that "the law has been used to perpetuate an injustice in Mr. Clutchette’s case." Since Clutchette was ultimately acquitted of all charges in the Soledad Brothers case, Professor Bell argues that it is problematic for Governor Brown to use this as his reason for reversing the parole board.

Why did Governor Brown deny parole to 74-year-old John Clutchette? In an Angola 3 News interview, Bell further contextualizes Brown's reference to the Soledad Brothers, and identifies other troubling aspects of the case.

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