Parole Changes

Prison population management - file review - technical violations revoke parole - parolee intensive treatment program - full board approval circumstance - reentry services if not released on parole - table parole review - appropriation. Under current law, there are prison population measures that can be used when the vacancy rate drops below 2%. The act changes the rate to 3% and adds a new measure. The new measure allows the department to submit a list of inmates who meet a specified eligibility criteria, have a favorable parole plan, and have been assessed to be less than high risk to the parole board for a file review.

For technical parole violations related to possession of a deadly weapon, refusing or failing to comply with the requirements of sex offender treatment, absconding or willful failure to appear, unlawful contact with a victim, or willful tampering or removal of an electronic monitoring device, the act allows the parole board to revoke parole and place the inmate back in prison for up to the remainder of the inmate's parole.

The act allows the parole board to place a parolee who needs treatment and is amenable to treatment in a parolee intensive treatment program operated by the department in a level I security facility or equivalent facility.

If an inmate meets criteria and has an approved parole plan, has been assessed low or very low risk, and parole guidelines recommend release, the parole board may deny parole only by a majority vote of the full board.

The act provides an inmate released from prison without supervision the right to access reentry services for up to one year from the date of discharge.

The act requires the parole board to table a parole release decision if it finds the inmate's parole plan is inadequate and to require a new parole plan within 30 days.

The act appropriates $25,200 from the general fund to the department of corrections for information technology services.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)