SB87 Alabama 2017 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Trip Pittman

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2017

Title

Prisons and prisoners, Pardons and Paroles Bd., medical parole docket, eligibility for certain prisoners suffering from chronic life-threatening illnesses, Corrections Dept. to provide list for consideration

Summary

The Alabama Medical Parole Act creates a formal process to identify seriously ill or aging inmates and consider them for medical parole through a special docket, with annual reporting to lawmakers.

What This Bill Does

It requires the Department of Corrections to annually identify inmates who spent 30+ days in an infirmary or under medical care, or who have life-threatening conditions, and share that information with the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The Board then places eligible inmates—defined as geriatric, permanently incapacitated, or terminally ill—on a special medical parole docket and holds open hearings to decide on medical parole. Decisions are in addition to other releases, and the Board may request more medical evidence; factors include risk, criminal history, behavior, age, illness severity, medical records, and reentry plans; the act excludes capital murder and sex offenses and does not guarantee release, while requiring annual reporting to legislative committees.

Who It Affects

• Inmates who are 60 or older and have a chronic life-threatening illness, or are permanently incapacitated or terminally ill, and who are otherwise eligible for parole; they could be considered for medical parole.
• The Department of Corrections and the Board of Pardons and Paroles, which must identify eligible inmates, manage the special medical parole docket, conduct hearings, and report data to legislators.

Key Provisions

• Defines terms: geriatric inmate (60+, chronic life-threatening infirmity/illness, or aging-related condition with daily function needs, low risk), permanently incapacitated inmate, terminally ill inmate, and necessary daily life function.
• Requires the Department of Corrections to annually identify inmates who spent 30+ days in infirmary or received costly medical treatment outside a facility, plus those with imminent death within 12 months, and provide this list to the Board for medical parole consideration.
• Establishes a special medical parole docket and open public hearings; the Board must determine inmate category (geriatric, permanently incapacitated, terminally ill) and place eligible inmates on the docket for parole consideration.
• Allows the Board to request additional medical evidence or examinations; considers factors such as risk, crime history, institutional behavior, age, illness severity, medical records, and reentry plans.
• Excludes inmates convicted of capital murder or sex offenses from medical parole under this act; medical parole decisions comply with existing laws and HIPAA protections.
• Requires the Board to annually report on medical parole activity to specified legislative committees, including numbers, illnesses, and cases considered or denied, without disclosing identifying information.
• States that medical parole is not an entitlement and does not guarantee release.
• Effective six months after passage.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Prisons and Prisoners