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Request By:
[NO REQUESTBY IN ORIGINAL]

Opinion

Opinion By: A. B. Chandler, Attorney General; Amye L. Bensenhaver, Assistant Attorney General

Open Records Decision

This matter having been presented to the Attorney General in an open records appeal, and the Attorney General being sufficiently advised, we find that the Kentucky Parole Board did not violate provisions of KRS 61.870 to KRS 61.884 when it denied Mr. Estep's request for "statistics on the percentage of sex offenders and other violent offenders who made parole in the months of June, July and August, 1996," on the basis that it does not maintain such statistics. This office has long recognized that a public agency cannot afford a requester access to records which it does not have. We believe that 93-ORD-51, and particularly the discussion at pages 4 and 5, is dispositive of this appeal. A copy of that decision is attached hereto, and its reasoning incorporated by reference.

A party aggrieved by this decision may appeal it by initiating action in the appropriate circuit court pursuant to KRS 61.880(5) and KRS 61.882. Pursuant to KRS 61.880(3), the Attorney General should be notified of any action in circuit court, but should not be named as a party in that action or in any subsequent proceeding.

LLM Summary
The Attorney General's decision finds that the Kentucky Parole Board did not violate open records laws by denying a request for specific statistics on parole rates for sex offenders and other violent offenders for certain months, as the agency does not maintain such statistics. The decision follows the precedent set in 93-ORD-051, which established that a public agency cannot be compelled to provide records it does not have.
Disclaimer:
The Sunshine Law Library is not exhaustive and may contain errors from source documents or the import process. Nothing on this website should be taken as legal advice. It is always best to consult with primary sources and appropriate counsel before taking any action.
Requested By:
E. F. Estep
Agency:
Kentucky Parole Board
Type:
Open Records Decision
Lexis Citation:
1996 Ky. AG LEXIS 270
Cites:
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