HB 134

Under existing law, the Executive Director of the Board of Pardons and Paroles is not required to certify an official order of the board granting a pardon, parole, or conditional release of a prisoner within a specified amount of time

This bill would require the Executive Director of the Board of Pardons and Paroles to certify an official order of the board granting a pardon, parole, or conditional release of a prisoner within 30 days

To amend Section 15-22-37, Code of Alabama 1975, relating to pardons and paroles; to require the Executive Director of the Board of Pardons and Paroles to certify an official order of the board granting a pardon, parole, or conditional release within a specified amount of time.

Section 1

Section 15-22-37, Code of Alabama 1975, is amended to read as follows:

§15-22-37.

(a) The Board of Pardons and Paroles may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the provisions of this article, touching upon all matters dealt with in this article, including, among others, practice and procedure in matters pertaining to paroles, pardons and remission of fines and forfeitures; provided, however, that no rule or regulation adopted and promulgated by such board shall have the effect of denying to any person whose application for parole or the revocation of whose parole is being considered by said the board from having the benefit of counsel or witnesses upon said the hearing.

(b) The Board of Pardons and Paroles shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to do all of the following:

(1) Establish a program of limited supervision for parolees who qualify addressing eligibility using validated risk and needs assessments, as defined in Section 12-25-32, transfers among levels of supervision, to include guidelines for the transfer of lower-risk individuals to an administrative form of parole, and reporting requirements;.

(2) Develop policies and procedures for screening, assessment, and referral for parolees to connect with recidivism reduction services including, but not limited to, cognitive behavioral intervention and substance abuse treatment;.

(3) Establish a matrix of rewards for compliance and pro-social behaviors and swift, certain and graduated sanctions to be imposed by the board, as provided under subsections (e) and (f) of Section 15-22-32, in response to corresponding violations of parole terms or conditions imposed;.

(4) Establish clear guidelines and procedures that retain the board's discretion in individual parole release cases. Such guidelines shall provide that, if a prisoner convicted of a nonviolent offense, as defined in Section 12-25-32, with a sentence of 20 years or less is denied parole, the board shall reconsider releasing the prisoner on parole no more than two years after such parole release denial. Such guidelines shall allow a current validated risk and needs assessment as defined in Section 12-25-32, past criminal history, program completion, institutional misconduct, and other individual characteristics related to the likelihood of offending in the future to be factored into the release decision while working to allocate prison space for the most violent and greatest risk prisoners;.

(5) Ensure that the provisions of subsections (k) and (l) of Section 15-22-24 are implemented relating to the supervision and treatment of parolees; and.

(6) Establish criteria, guidelines, and procedures to discharge parolees from parole supervision requirements prior to the expiration of the full maximum term for which the parolee was sentenced, unless the parolee was convicted of a violent offense as defined in Section 12-25-32, which shall include review of a parolee for discharge from parole supervision at least every two years if the parolee has satisfied all financial obligations owed to the court, including restitution, and has not had his or her supervision revoked.

(7) Ensure that each official order of the board granting a pardon, parole, or conditional transfer of a prisoner shall be certified by the executive director within ays."

Section 2

This act shall become effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.