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Birmingham-based lawyer Kim Davidson has been appointed to the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, according to an announcement from the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles on Tuesday.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey finalized the appointment on Friday, with Davidson replacing outgoing board member Dwayne Spurlock, who retired recently, the bureau said on Tuesday. Spurlock has been a member of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles since 2018.
“It is an honor to become part of this team, and I am looking forward to working with fellow Board members,” Davidson said in a statement on Tuesday. “I am genuinely committed to leaving a positive impact on people I serve by making careful and informed decisions focusing on public safety, offender accountability and victims’ rights.”
Davidson received a Juris Doctor from the Birmingham School of Law and became a member of the Alabama State Bar in 1996. A member of several professional associations, Davidson has been at the head of her own law firm in Vestavia Hills since 2002.
Board chair Leigh Gwathney, who herself served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office for the Birmingham Division, said in a statement on Tuesday that the board will “look forward to Welcoming Ms. Davidson” as she fills the third seat on the three-member board.
“Kim will be a great addition to the Board of Pardons and Paroles,” said Bureau Director Cam Ward in a statement on Tuesday. “Her legal background in family law and mediation makes her well suited for this position. I look forward to working with her in this new role.”
The most recent statistical report released by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles shows that only 6 percent, or 93 individuals, out of the nearly 1436 individuals up for their hearing were granted parole so far this fiscal year. The fiscal year prior, 10 percent of parole eligible individuals were granted their early release in a historic low percentage of parole approvals from the board.
Just five years ago, the board granted parole to over half of those eligible
