MONTOMGERY, Ala. (WBMA) – A bill introduced by Rep. Chris England aims to revise the criteria for parole consideration in Alabama. The proposed legislation, known as House Bill 86, seeks to amend Section 15-22-26 of the Code of Alabama 1975.
Under the current law, the Board of Pardons and Paroles considers 6 various factors to determine parole eligibility.
- Risk to reoffend, based upon a validated risk and needs assessment
- Progress in department of corrections plan for reentry
- Input from the victim or victims, the family of the victim or victims, prosecutors, and law enforcement entities
- Participation in risk-reduction programs while incarcerated
- Institutional behavior of the prisoner inmate while incarcerated
- Severity of the underlying offense for which the inmate was sentenced to incarceration.
The bill would change some of the wording in the factors above and grant three more specific factors for to the board to give positive consideration, including:
- An inmate’s low risk to reoffend
- Employment while incarcerated
- Education completed during incarceration
The bill’s sponsor, Chris England said of these factors, “If you require the parole board to take that into account, then it becomes an incentive… to do better while you’re incarcerated but also to do things that better prepare you for when you get out. It’s only a benefit for us.”
England also expressed faith in the parole system and a desire for incarcerated people to be brought back into society with oversight and guidance instead of just being released unsupervised…