Gov. Ed Rendell

Rendell calls for halt to prisoner releases

Responding to mounting criticism of Pennsylvania's parole process after the killing of a Philadelphia police officer, Gov. Rendell today ordered a halt to the early release of all offenders until an independent expert can conduct "a top to bottom review" of how the state releases violent offenders.

Rendell ordered the Department of Corrections to temporarily halt the release of offenders who have been granted parole until the study can be completed. It was unclear how many of the state's 47,000 prisoners would be affected.

Rendell asked John S. Goldkamp, chairman of the Temple University Department of Criminal Justice, to review the parole system as police continued to express outrage after the killing of a second officer this year by a felon under parole supervision.

The move came the day before tomorrow's scheduled funeral of Police Officer Patrick McDonald, 30, who was killed Tuesday by Daniel Giddings, a recently paroled violent criminal. Giddings, who police said shot McDonald as he lay wounded on the street, died moments later in a shootout with police.