HB 69 — Parole Eligibility

F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S HBCS/HB 69 2021 A bill to be entitled An act relating to parole eligibility;

revising legislative intent concerning the grantgranting of parole;

requiringcreating thes. Commission on Offender Review to adopt a specified program with certain requirements;

947.136, F.S.;

requiring the Florida Commission on Offender Review and the Department of Corrections to jointly develop a voluntary long-term inmate program;

requiring the program to be offered to male and female inmates equally;

requiring the program to provide evidence- based programming to certain inmates;

establishing eligibility for referral for participation in the program;

providing program requirements;

providing that inmates may be removed from the program under certain circumstances;

requiring a certificate of completion upon successful completion of the program;

providing that successful completion of the program does not guarantee parole;

requiring rulemaking;

8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

Subsection (5) of section 947.002, Florida Statutes, is amended and subsection (6) is added to that section 947.002, Florida Statutes, to read:

947.002 Intent.— (5)(6) ItThe iscommission theshall intentconsider of the Legislature that the decision to parole an inmate from the incarceration portion of the inmate's sentencePage is1 an act of discretion4 basedCODING: on reliable evidence grace of the state and parole is shall not be considered a right.

(6) The commission's primary focus should be anticipating an inmate will be parole eligible.

The commission should focus on an inmate's institutional achievements, lack of disciplinary report, and all indications of the lack of risk to the public in parole release of the inmate.

The commission shall partner with the department to create a lifer's program for all male and female inmates eligible for parole and adopt rules ensuring that Page 1 of 2 CODING:

hb0069-00hb0069-01-c1 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S HBCS/HB 69 2021 institutional achievements, lack of disciplinary report, and all indications of the lifer'slack programof isrisk madeto equallythe public in the decision to allparole inmates,an bothinmate malefrom andthe female.incarceration portion of his or her sentence.

The commission shall expedite those inmates who appear to have sufficient rehabilitation achievements previously attained through completion in the lifer's program.

Section 947.136, Florida Statutes, is created to read:

947.136 Long-Term Inmate Program.— (1) The commission and the department shall jointly develop a long-term inmate program, housed within the department, for inmates who are eligible for parole under this chapter to prepare such inmates for reintegration into the community.

The program shall be offered on an equal basis to male and female inmates.

(2) The long-term inmate program is a voluntary program that provides evidence-based programming to inmates who are within 3 years of their presumptive parole release date as established by the commission under s.

947.172.

(3) Inmates must be referred by the commission for participation in the long-term inmate program prior to the department placing the inmate into the program.

An inmate who meets all of the following criteria may be referred by the commission for placement into the long-term inmate program:

(a) Does not have factors, as identified in rule, which would preclude placement at an institution operating a long-term inmate program.

Page 2 of 4 CODING:

Words stricken are deletions;

words underlined are additions.

hb0069-01-c1 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S CS/HB 69 2021 (b) Must be serving a parole-eligible sentence.

Inmates who have subsequently received a parole-ineligible sentence may be considered for participation on a case-by-case basis.

(4) To successfully complete the long-term inmate program, inmates participating must, at a minimum:

(a) Complete at least 250 hours of community service projects, as approved by the department.

(b) Participate in at least 100 hours of enrichment programs, as defined by rule.

(c) Complete an evidence-based curriculum as provided in rule which, at a minimum, addresses:

1.

Anger management.