HB580 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Chris EnglandRepresentative

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Parole, to further provide for parole consideration, Secs. 15-22-26, 15-22-28 am'd.

Summary

The bill would require the parole board to review certain elderly prisoners under specific circumstances and update parole guidelines and procedures, including making non-substantive language changes.

What This Bill Does

It adds a requirement that the parole board review elderly prisoners in certain cases. It updates parole guidelines to be actuarially based and reviewed every three years, and to consider factors like risk of reoffending, progress toward reentry, input from victims and law enforcement, and the prisoner’s conduct and program participation. It also creates a special elderly-parole hearing provision (55 years old with 15 years served) and keeps the board’s decisions discretionary, while requiring written explanations for decisions and notices to the Governor and Attorney General when certain parole actions are taken.

Who It Affects

• Prisoners, especially elderly inmates, who will face new review requirements, guideline-based evaluation, and potential elderly-parole hearings.
• Victims, victims’ families, prosecutors, law enforcement, the Department of Corrections, and other interested parties, who will provide input on parole decisions and receive written reasons for decisions and any notices related to parole actions.

Key Provisions

• Adds a requirement that the Board of Pardons and Paroles review cases of elderly prisoners under certain circumstances.
• Updates Sections 15-22-26 and 15-22-28 to require guidelines that are structured, actuarially based, reviewed every three years, and include factors such as risk to reoffend, progress toward reentry, input from stakeholders, participation in programs, institutional behavior, and offense severity.
• Requires the board to clearly articulate and provide written reasons for parole approval or denial to the prisoner, victims, and other interested parties, while preserving the board's ultimate discretion over parole decisions.
• Empowers the board to investigate parole feasibility using a validated risk and needs assessment, requires cooperation from the Department of Corrections, and sets conditions around temporary leaves (including Christmas furloughs) and reporting.
• Sets initial parole consideration dates by category of sentence and allows limited deviations if certain criteria are met; requires 30 days’ notice to the Governor and Attorney General and grants them 14 days to object, with potential reversal if objections are upheld.
• Creates a special elderly-parole hearing trigger: when a prisoner has at least 15 years served and is age 55 or older, a parole hearing must be held and the prisoner can be released if there is a reasonable probability of staying lawfully free, even if not at the initial date; denial requires written factors and a new reconsideration date within 24 months.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Pardons and Paroles Board