Following the third denial, Greiman filed suit in Polk County District Court against Jason Carlstrom, chairman of the Iowa Board of Parole; the rest of the parole board; John R. Baldwin, director of the Department of Corrections; and the Iowa Department of Corrections.

The Iowa Attorney General's Office has moved the lawsuit to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

Greiman alleges the defendants have subjected him to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment. He also alleges the departments' policies and procedures violate his right to due process under the 14th Amendment.

In an email to the Globe Gazette, Greiman said the parole board has never interviewed him as part of its review process. He said he feels the board doesn't get a complete picture of the person he is today without speaking to him.

"I have no way of knowing if I'll ever be released," he wrote. "I think I've learned to take one day at a time and not worry too much about the rest. I can tell you that I make a conscious effort each day to try to be a credit to the people around me and that this isn't going to change whether I live in an institution or not.