The provisions of the bill addressing orders of commutation are the subject of this analysis.  The bill would amend various codes as they relate to the authority of a court to grant a commutation of punishment for certain persons released on parole.  Under the provisions of the bill, parolees meeting certain requirements would be eligible to file a motion with the convicting court for an order of commutation which, if granted, would fully discharge their sentence.

Allowing for qualifying parolees, at the discretion of the courts, to serve a shorter term under parole supervision, is expected to result in fewer demands upon the correctional resources of the counties and of the State due to a decrease in the number of people requiring prolonged supervision.  After removing those individuals who had not been under parole supervision for at least 10 years and those who were required to register as a sex offender, 6,930 people remained on August 31, 2020, who would potentially be eligible to fully discharge their sentence. This number would be further reduced by excluding those who had their supervision previously revoked during the ten year period preceding the motion. This analysis assumes implementing the provisions of the bill would not result in a significant impact on the demand for state correctional resources.