Susan Atkins, a terminally ill former Charles Manson follower, has been denied a compassionate release from prison, the California Board of Parole Hearings said Tuesday on its Web site.

Atkins, 60, has been diagnosed with brain cancer and has had a leg amputated, her attorney said. In June, she requested the release, available to terminally ill inmates with less than six months to live.

The board's decision came after a public hearing on Atkins' request. It means the request will not be forwarded to the Los Angeles Superior Court that sentenced Atkins.