SB 1361 Parole Board; eligibility determinations, reports

About SB-1361

Parole Board; eligibility determinations; reports. Removes provisions that exempted from the mandatory disclosure provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the records of the Parole Board. The bill requires the Board to (i) adopt rules regarding parole eligibility as set forth in the bill; (ii) publish the statement of actions taken by the Board by the fifteenth day of each month; (iii) include in such statement individualized reasons for the granting or denial of parole and the vote of each member; (iv) conduct final deliberations and votes on parole decisions at public meetings; (v) publish an annual report that summarizes actions taken by the Board during the prior year; and (vi) provide a prisoner or his attorney with all information, other than the personal information of the victim, gathered by the Board during an investigation, provided that such information shall not be further disclosed, reproduced, copied, or disseminated. Parole Board; eligibility determinations; reports. Removes provisions that exempted from the mandatory disclosure provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the records of the Parole Board. The bill requires the Board to (i) adopt rules regarding parole eligibility as set forth in the bill; (ii) publish the statement of actions taken by the Board by the fifteenth day of each month; (iii) include in such statement individualized reasons for the granting or denial of parole and the vote of each member; (iv) conduct final deliberations and votes on parole decisions at public meetings; (v) publish an annual report that summarizes actions taken by the Board during the prior year; and (vi) provide a prisoner or his attorney with all information, other than the personal information of the victim, gathered by the Board during an investigation, provided that such information shall not be further disclosed, reproduced, copied, or disseminated. The bill provides that final discharges may be issued by the Board only upon approval by a majority of Board members and requires the Board to publish an annual report regarding such final discharges, with items specified in the bill. The bill also requires the Board, prior to making any decision to grant discretionary parole to an inmate, to have discussed and debated such decision at a meeting at which a majority of the Board members were present. The bill requires, in cases in which the Board grants discretionary parole to an inmate, each Board member to identify his reasoning for such decision at the time such member's vote is cast. The bill requires that parole review hearings include a live interview of the prisoner, which may be conducted in person or by videoconference or telephone, and, absent imminent death or other extraordinary circumstances, prohibits the Board from granting parole to any prisoner who has not received a live interview within the prior calendar year. The bill also allows the victim of the crime for which the prisoner is incarcerated to present testimony to the Board by virtual means. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2024.