Bill Cosby Denied Parole After Refusing Sex Offender Therapy
Bill Cosby, the 83-year-old actor, who is currently serving three to 10 years in Pennsylvania state prison after being convicted of sexual assault in 2018, has been denied parole nearly three years into his sentence.
The Pennsylvania State Parole Board declined Cosby’s parole request on May 11 partly over his need to participate in “a treatment program for sex offenders and violence prevention,” and “failure to develop a parole release plan,” according to a state board action letter provided to USA TODAY. The board also cited a “negative recommendation” from the Department of Corrections.
Cosby’s representative, Andrew Wyatt, told USA Today on Thursday that the decision “is not a surprise” to the disgraced TV star because the board explicitly stated he would be denied parole “if he did not participate in SVP (Sexually Violent Predator) courses.”
However, Wyatt said Cosby, who has maintained his innocence, has no plans to attend the therapy programs. “The Cosby Show” star has previously said he expects to serve his full 10-year sentence and vowed to show no remorse for crimes he said he didn’t commit. Wyatt said:
Mr. Cosby has vehemently proclaimed his innocence and continues to deny all allegations made against him, as being false, without the sheer evidence of any proof. Mr. Cosby continues to remain hopeful that the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court will issue an opinion to vacate his conviction or warrant him a new trial.
Cosby was the first celebrity to go on trial in the #MeToo era and was convicted of drugging and raping Andrea Constand, a former professional basketball player who worked for his alma mater, Temple University, in Philadelphia in 2004.
Cosby appealed his conviction, citing multiple alleged “errors” by the trial judge in his case, but the state appeals court upheld his verdict in December 2019. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court accepted Cosby’s appeal in June 2020, thus raising the possibility it might be overturned in the future.
On Dec. 1, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments at a virtual hearing on whether Cosby was fairly convicted. The court has not yet issued a ruling.