Commission backs parole concept but urges changes to implementation schedule

The Sensing Guideline Commission voted to take an 'other' position on bill 60 74 on Jan. 30, supporting the concept of reinstituted parole while raising concerns about the bill's implementation schedule and potential inequities.

Staff described the bill as allowing incarcerated individuals for offenses committed on or after 07/01/1927 to petition the Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board (ISRB) for parole after serving no less than 60% of total confinement, with exclusions for aggravated murder, certain juvenile convictions, life-without-parole sentences and offenses requiring registration. The bill would create a parole implementation workgroup and authorize DOC supervision for those released on parole.

Commissioners and an ISRB representative raised practical concerns: the bill's effective date (July 2027) and the requirement that prisoners petition the ISRB could delay benefits for many people for years, possibly until 2037 in practice, according to one commissioner's calculations. The ISRB noted petition-processing timelines and a requirement to provide 90 days notice to prosecutors, courts and victims (modeled on another provision) could create significant fiscal and administrative burdens if applied broadly.

Members recommended a rolling implementation and sought assurance the ISRB had capacity to handle a potential surge of petitions. The commission's motion — to support the concept but register concerns and recommend consideration of a phased implementation — passed in a hand vote and staff recorded the commission's 'other' position for committee records.

Next steps: staff will file the 'other' position with the bill record and continue to monitor fiscal and implementation reports should the bill advance.