HB581 Summary

• Reduces the minimum age for medical parole eligibility from 60 years old to 50 years old for geriatric inmates.

• Expands medical parole eligibility to inmates convicted of any offense, removing the prior exclusion for capital offense convictions (except capital murder and sex offenses remain ineligible).

• Allows inmates to become eligible for medical parole after serving 15 years of their sentence, instead of waiting until their initial parole consideration date.

• Requires the Board of Pardons and Paroles to establish a special medical parole docket and conduct public hearings for medical parole considerations, with the Department of Corrections providing lists of eligible inmates annually by January 1.

• Requires the board to consider risk for violence, criminal history, institutional behavior, age, severity of illness, medical records, and reentry plans when determining medical parole eligibility.