HB520 Summary

• Creates the Alabama Education Incentive Time Act allowing prisoners to earn sentence reductions upon successfully completing approved academic, vocational, risk-reducing, or apprenticeship programs.

• Limits education incentive time to a maximum of 12 months per term of incarceration and prohibits eligibility for prisoners sentenced to death, life imprisonment, or convicted of sex offenses involving children.

• Requires the Department of Corrections to adopt implementing rules with approval from the Joint Legislative Prison Oversight Committee by March 1, 2022, including specifications on maximum time reductions, incremental credits based on program complexity, and disciplinary revocation provisions.

• Directs the Board of Pardons and Paroles to apply earned education incentive time to advance parole consideration dates and consider it in release decisions; requires reporting when capable prisoners decline program participation.

• Prohibits prisoners from bringing legal challenges to education incentive time decisions and bars courts from exercising jurisdiction over program approvals, credit awards, or related administrative matters.