LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A new year comes with new laws in Arkansas reflecting the most recent legislative session at the State Capitol.
A significant Jan. 1 change is the implementation of the 2023 Protect Act sentencing changes to longer prison terms for convicted felons by delaying parole eligibility.
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Portions of the act have been going into effect since its passage, but as of Jan. 1, those convicted of serious crimes must serve 85-100% of their sentence before being released, the exact amount depending on the seriousness of the felony. A smaller portion of the act requires inmates to serve at least 25-50% of their sentence before they are eligible for early release.
The act also allows the Post-Prison Transfer Board to determine earned release credits of 50-75% depending on the seriousness determination by a grid or table provided by the Arkansas Sentencing Commission and approved by the legislative council.
“We know it’s going to take two, three, four, five years to fully implement and start seeing substantial results but look, I know this: I’m hearing stories from prosecutors with recordings of inmates saying, ‘We got to settle our case before this goes into effect.’ They don’t understand how it works, but what it says is that they understand that the consequences are real,” State Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester (R-Cave Springs) said.