General Assembly

Substitute Bill No. 831

January Session, 2019

AN ACT CONCERNING MINOR REVISIONS TO SPECIAL PAROLE
AND PAROLE DISCHARGE STATUTES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
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Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2019) Prior to the Board of
Pardons and Paroles terminating a person's period of special parole
pursuant to section 54-129 of the general statutes, as amended by this
act, the Office of Victim Services, within the Judicial Department, shall
notify the victim of the crime for which the person is serving a period
of special parole who is registered with the Office of Victim Services
within the Judicial Department or registered with the Victim Services
Unit within the Department of Correction, of the board's intent to
consider the termination of such person's period of special parole. Any
victim may submit a statement to the board concerning whether such
person's period of special parole should be terminated. For the
purposes of this section, "victim" means a victim, as defined in section
54-126a of the general statutes.

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Sec. 2. Section 54-129 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

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(a) If it appears to the appropriate panel of the Board of Pardons
and Paroles that any [convict or inmate] person on parole or inmate
eligible for parole or [on] any person serving a period of special parole

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will lead an orderly life, the panel, by a unanimous vote, [of all the
members present at any regular meeting of the panel,] may (1) declare
such [convict] person on parole or inmate discharged from the custody
of the Commissioner of Correction, [and shall thereupon deliver to
him or her a written] or (2) at any time during such person's period of
special parole, terminate such period, without a court order, before
such person completes such period.

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(b) Whenever any inmate has been discharged from the custody of
the Commissioner of Correction or whenever any person's period of
special parole has been terminated, the chairperson shall issue a
certificate to that effect under the seal of the Board of Pardons and
Paroles. [and signed by the chairperson of the board and the
commissioner.]

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Sec. 3. Subsection (e) of section 54-124a of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from
passage):

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(e) (1) Each parole release panel shall be composed of [two] three
members, [and] one of whom shall be the chairperson or a full-time
member designated by the chairperson to serve temporarily as
chairperson. [On and after January 1, 2016, not less than three
members shall be present at each parole hearing.]

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(2) Each pardons panel shall be composed of three members, one of
whom may be the chairperson, except that for hearings on
commutations from the penalty of death, one member of the panel
shall be the chairperson.

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(3) Each panel that discharges persons on parole from the custody of
the Commissioner of Correction or that terminates the period of
special parole for persons shall be composed of three members, one of
whom shall be the chairperson or a full-time member designated by
the chairperson to serve temporarily as chairperson.

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Sec. 4. Subsection (f) of section 54-124a of the general statutes is
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repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from
passage):

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(f) The Board of Pardons and Paroles shall have independent
decision-making authority to (1) grant or deny parole in accordance
with sections 54-125, 54-125a, 54-125e and 54-125g, (2) establish
conditions of parole or special parole supervision in accordance with
section 54-126, (3) rescind or revoke parole or special parole in
accordance with sections 54-127 and 54-128, (4) grant commutations of
punishment or releases, conditioned or absolute, in the case of any
person convicted of any offense against the state and commutations
from the penalty of death in accordance with section 54-130a, (5)
discharge any person on parole or inmate eligible for parole from the
custody of the Commissioner of Correction pursuant to section 54-129,
as amended by this act, and (6) terminate special parole in accordance
with section 54-129, as amended by this act.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1
Sec. 2
Sec. 3
Sec. 4
JUD

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October 1, 2019
from passage
from passage
from passage

New section
54-129
54-124a(e)
54-124a(f)

Joint Favorable Subst.

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