The following document is what Mike received following his December 19th parole denial. His next hearing is scheduled for in or after November, 2014.
It lists the reasons for denial as:
"Your refusal to accept responsibility for the offense(s) committed," and
"The negative recommendation made by the prosecuting attorney."
It appears that Mike maintaining his innocence is seen as an attempt to not accept responsibility, even while there is evidence
that corroborates that the shot was fired from a location where it is well known he was nowhere near. This phenomenon
is referred to as "the innocent prisoner's dilemma" by law professor
Daniel Medwed who asserts that it is
unfair and unethical to require a prisoner who may have been wrongly convicted
to provide false admission of guilt or remorse.
In regards to the negative recommendation made by the prosecuting attorney, this is outweighed by the fact that the
officials at SCI Graterford, where Mike is held, have recommended him
for parole. These are the prison guards and personnel
that he has contact with on a day-to-day basis as opposed to the prosecuting
attorney who has had no contact with him at all in decades.
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