The Guam Parole Board was scheduled to meet on Thursday, but there weren't enough members to meet quorum.

This means the 11 cases on the board's agenda won't be heard until the board's next monthly meeting at the end of April.

According to MiChelle Taitano, the board's chairwoman, this problem isn't new.

"It hasn't been a problem in the last few months, but we're just challenged because we need new members," Taitano said.

The problem, she said, stems from a law that was passed in 2011.

"It's supposed to have helped the board, but it did the exact opposite," Taitano said.

Public Law 16-31 amended the composition of the parole board, adding two new positions and bringing the board to seven members, which requires four members to meet quorum.

Taitano said the board has had a hard time meeting that standard because there are only five members. If one member goes off island and another is sick, she said, the board isn't able to make any decisions.

"In contrast, when the parole board was made up of five members, we only needed three for a quorum," Taitano said. "We operated with three, four and five members on the board throughout the years, and we still had enough members to have a quorum under the old law. We're able to make these decisions with three people."

Public Law 16-31 also requires board members to possess a certain background and experience. Because of this requirement, Taitano said, it's been challenging to fill the parole board's remaining positions. The board currently lacks two members with either a medical degree or a degree in sociology, social work or psychology, she added.

"These folks are already in our community with these degrees, and they're working in their field. It's really hard for them to pull out from that and spend a day to do the work that we do and not get paid for it," Taitano said.

The requirements set out by the law, she said, add to the board's existing challenges in filling its spots. This includes a lack of pay and security concerns.

"This board is different from other boards. We're high-risk. Some of us have experienced burglaries, vandalism, stalking, harassment and threats," Taitano said.

"There's no pay and you're told about the potential risks upfront."

While the board is working to recruit people to fill its remaining slots, Taitano said, the board risks being backed up on its cases for review if it isn't able to meet a quorum.

There also is a legal implication, she said, with Guam law requiring the board to hold hearings for individuals who violate their parole within 60 days of their parole violation.

Taitano said she hopes Public Law 16-31 can be amended to lower the number of members required on the parole board as well as the requirements to be on the parole board.

She also hopes the parole board will be able to address another issue: its facility. With its lack of funding, the board has had trouble finding a place to hold its monthly meetings.

"We're hoping to find another semi-permanent facility soon that will be neutral ground for our board members, victims and the individuals we hear from," Taitano said.

Despite these problems, the board continues to move forward.

"Even though we have these challenges, we're doing the best we can," Taitano said. "We're doing the best with our given situation."