Parole for Individuals Convicted of Murder (H 7100, H 7101, 7103, S 2029, S 2031, S 2036A)

Following a series of unpopular decisions by the Parole Board, the General Assembly weighed a number of changes to existing parole laws for individuals convicted of murder. In February and March the ACLU testified before the Senate and House Judiciary committees, respectively, in opposition to a trio of bills aimed at further penalizing those convicted of first or second degree murder. Two sets of bills, (H 7100/S 2036A) and (H 7101/S 2029), would have extended the amount of a sentence an individual must serve prior to parole if they are convicted of first or second degree murder. The ACLU testified that such legislation ties the hands of judges and reduces incentives for prisoners to engage in rehabilitative services, at a cost of more than $40,000 per inmate per year. Another set of bills (H 7103/S 2031) aimed to create a registry of individuals convicted of murder and paroled, similar to the sex offender registry. The ACLU testified that such a registry would lack the individual analysis of each paroled individual, providing no insight as to their potential to reoffend, and would only stigmatize and further alienate rehabilitated individuals from those around them. The Senate approved both S 2029 and S 2036A, but neither bill received a vote in the House and all six bills died.