Signed by Governor John Bel Edwards

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes new regulations and eligibility criteria for parole.

Highlights:

•  Authorizes the court to offer up to 3 years of probation for a first, second, or third conviction of a noncapital offense (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the court to revoke parole of certain individuals who they believe violated the terms of their probation (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes defendants on felony probation for an offense other than violence or sex to earn a diminution of their probation term through “earned compliance credits” for good behavior (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits incarceration from being used for the lowest-tier violations of parole including the first positive drug test or the first or second violation of alcohol use (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that individuals are only eligible for the drug probation program if they have been convicted for a first offense that carries a sentence of 10 years or less for a crime that was not committed against a dating partner or household member (Sec. 2).

• Requires the Board of Parole to notify the victim, spouse, or next of kin about when the offender is scheduled for a parole hearing and what their individual rights are, which needs to be done at least 60 days prior to the hearing (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that individuals are eligible for parole after serving 25% of their imposed sentence unless they are convicted of a violent or sex crime, in which case they are eligible for parole after serving 65% of their sentence (Sec. 3).

• Prohibits individuals convicted of armed robbery from being eligible for parole (Sec. 3).

• Authorizes individuals serving a life sentence for 2nd-degree murder to be eligible for parole if they committed the offense between 1973 and 1979, have served at least 40 years of their sentence, and the Committee on Parole unanimously votes to grant them parole (Sec. 3).

• Establishes the Medical Treatment Furlough Program, which utilizes off-site facilities for an offender's medical treatment (Sec. 3).

• Authorizes the Department of Corrections to allow an inmate to be considered for medical parole or medical treatment furlough if an inmate is terminally ill or permanently disabled (Sec. 3).

• Requires the Department of Corrections to establish a written case plan for every offender in custody that is sentenced to 180 days or more (Sec. 3).

Full Bill Text