OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. —
The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed to 13 ON YOUR SIDE that Greg DuJardine was granted parole after a hearing conducted under the provisions of the Lifer Law on Nov. 2 of last year. He was released on parole on Jan. 9 of this year.
The Michigan Lifer Law allows certain people granted life sentences, like for Criminal Sexual Conduct or Armed Robbery, to be eligible for parole after a certain number of years served. DuJardine was convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct – 1st Degree and pleaded guilty to a Habitual Offender charge in 1989 and served three decades of his life sentence.
Sarissa Montague, a criminal defense lawyer with Levine & Levine, said the statue doesn’t entitle someone serving life in prison a hearing.
“They are entitled to have their file reviewed, but that's not the same thing as having a hearing,” she said.
She also said a hearing doesn’t necessarily mean a person will be granted parole either. She said after a hearing that doesn’t grant parole, that person’s file is reviewed every five years until the person is released or dies in prison.
“It's giving somebody a chance to be paroled. And whether or not someone gets pearled is sometimes reflective of the kind of running philosophy, for lack of better words, of the parole board,” she said. “Recently, the parole board has, has kind of thought life needs life, and so even though you are eligible for parole, doesn't necessarily mean that people get parole. However, that's not a standard rule. It just applies, you know, however, however they do to apply it.”
There are a lot of considerations that go into a Lifer Law hearing, and it varies on a case-by-case basis. 13 ON YOUR SIDE cannot confirm the details on what went on in DuJardine’s hearing.
“So what are they looking for?” Montague said. “They're looking to see, has the person been rehabilitated? What have they done while they were in prison? Do they have a significant disciplinary history while in prison? What kind of classes did they take? What kind of jobs do they have? What kind of services. Have they completed? Do they help other people around them? You know, all of the things that you're looking to see is this person safe, to be, you know, to reenter into the community.”
Before his 1989 conviction, DuJardine had also previously been convicted in 1981 in Ottawa County Circuit Court for Receiving and Concealing and in 1986 for Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Second Degree in Grand Haven Circuit Court.
The investigation is still ongoing and anyone who witnessed this or may have had similar contact with the suspect is asked to contact the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office at 616-738-4000 or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT (745368) or mosotips.com.