The comedian was sentenced to three to ten years for aggravated indecent assault in 2018.
The Pennsylvania Parole Board denied Bill Cosby’s petition for parole filed earlier this month. The decision is motivated by the comedian’s refusal to complete a sex offender treatment program.
Cosby was found guilty of aggravated indecent assault in 2018 when he was sentenced to three to ten years in prison.
“Following an interview with you and a review of your file, and having considered all matters required pursuant to the parole board, in the exercise of its discretion, has determined at this time that: you are denied parole/reparole,” the board said.
“The news that Actor and Comedian Bill Cosby’s parole has been ‘denied’ by the Pennsylvania State Parole Board is not a surprise to Mr. Cosby, his family, his friends and/or his legal team,” his spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, said on May 27.
Twitter Reacts To Bill Cosby Not Getting Out Of Jail
The news of Cosby being denied parole has been trending on social media.
"Bill Cosby was denied parole because of the "I'm-white-and-I-say-so" common law. He was convicted because of the same "Im-white-and-I-say-so" law, that all Black people are subjected to,” someone wrote in defense of Cosby.
While some are defending Cosby, pointing out he’s been treated differently from other non-Black convicted felons, many agree that he belongs in prison.
“Bill Cosby's parole was denied b/c he refuses required sexual harassment education. IOW, he's unrepentant. That answers that,” one user tweeted.
Black Twitter Has Mixed Reactions About Cosby Being Denied Parole
One user pointed out how some in the Black community stubbornly defend Black sexual offenders, including Cosby and singer R.Kelly. The latter is currently in prison on 22 charges, including child sexual exploitation and child pornography production.
“We need to stop issuing passes for atrocious behavior based on Blackness,” they wrote.
“Men like Bill Cosby and R. Kelly don't deserve an ounce of grace. Yet, some in the Black community feel like it's our right to protect them. Why? Their words and actions have shown they couldn't care less,” a follow-up tweet reads.
“Bill Cosby raped dozens of women. Why do I need to read people bringing up Harvey Weinstein, who is also an awful person. ‘Their cases were treated differently’ They're both violators of women. Each need to spend the rest of miserable lives in jail. Period,” they continued.
Disgraced movie mogul Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault brought to light in the 2017 #MeToo scandal.