| TO: | Honorable Tan Parker, Chair, House Committee on Corrections |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB1337 by Bonnen, Dennis (Relating to the frequency with which the Board of Pardons and Paroles considers the eligibility of certain inmates for release on parole.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Government Code as it relates to parole reconsideration for inmates convicted of aggravated sexual assault and capital felonies in which the sentence was imposed was life imprisonment. Under the provisions of the bill, the Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) could delay reconsidering the release of these offenders to parole for up to ten years after the date of the previous denial. Under current law the BPP can delay reconsidering an offender's release for up to five years after the date of their previous denial.
By allowing the BPP to delay reconsideration of certain offenders for release to parole, the bill's provisions could increase their length of incarceration. Increasing the length of incarceration for any criminal offense is expected to increase demands on state correctional agency resources. However, the bill's provisions do not affect parole eligibility criteria and only provide the BPP the option to delay reconsideration. It is assumed that these provisions would not have a significant impact on length of stay and, as a result, would not significantly impact state correctional agencies' workload and programs.
| Source Agencies: | 696 Department of Criminal Justice, 697 Board of Pardons and Paroles
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| LBB Staff: | UP, ESi, GG, JPo
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