O. J. Simpson has been at the Lovelock Correctional Facility in Nevada for the past nine years, but his fate may change on Thursday after a parole board meeting. The famous football player was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping in a criminal case concerning sports memorabilia that took place in 2007 and 2008. On Thursday, a parole board meeting will decide whether Simpson will be released early. The four members of the board include Connie Bisbee, chairman of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners.
Ever since the parole hearing became public, Bisbee has become popular for her charming demeanor and sense of humor. The other three members are Tony Corda, Susan Jackson, and Adam Endel. In the first few minutes of the parole hearing on Thursday, Bisbee established herself as a friendly and witty personality on the board. In a humorous exchange with Simpson, she joked about his age, which Simpson responded to positively.
According to The Reno Gazette Journal, the chairman has had her position on the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners since February 2009. She formerly worked in criminal justice as the associate warden of programs for Nevada's Department of Corrections. In terms of higher education, Bisbee is a Troy State University alum.
As mentioned before, Bisbee is known for her amiable personality. John Linn, a photojournalist for KRNV News 4, shared a photo of Bisbee on Twitter prior to the parole hearing for Simpson. In the photo, Bisbee can be seen holding a tray of an assortment of cookies reportedly meant for everyone.
In different reports, it is clear that Bisbee possesses an impressive professional background. According to the same report in The Reno Gazette Journal, Bisbee had also formerly served in the United States Air Force. She also worked as a judicial services director while observing misdemeanor probation in Florida.
According to an introductory page on the chairman and commissioners present on the Nevada Board Of Parole Commissioners, Bisbee carries a master's degree in counseling and human development while her bachelor's degree is in criminal justice.
With Simpson in the ninth year of his 33-year-long sentence, it is not definitively clear whether he will be given parole. But the conversation between Bisbee and Simpson shows the chairman's decidedly objective stance on the former football player's armed robbery and kidnapping case. "Mr. Simpson," Bisbee said early on in the parole meeting, "you are getting the same hearing that everybody else gets."
