Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 35, Part 5.

This bill revises various provisions regarding parole, as follows:<br /> <br /> (1) Under present law, an inmate will not be granted parole, if, among other reasons, the release from custody at the time would depreciate the seriousness of the crime of which the defendant stands convicted or promote disrespect for the law. This bill deletes this provision; and<br /> <br /> (2) Present law requires the board of parole to conduct a hearing within a reasonable time prior to a defendant's release eligibility date to determine a defendant's fitness for parole. This bill revises this provision to instead require that within one year of an incarcerated individual's release eligibility date, an institutional parole officer meet with the incarcerated individual to create a release plan. The board will then conduct a hearing to determine the individual's fitness for parole upon the release eligibility date.<br /> <br /> ON APRIL 19, 2021, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1437, AS AMENDED.<br /> <br /> AMENDMENT #1 removes from this bill the section that would have deleted the present law provision described above in the bill summary in item (1) regarding the seriousness of the offense. This amendment also revises the party who will meet with the incarcerated individual (as described above in the bill summary in (2) from "an institutional parole officer" to "an employee of the department of correction." This amendment clarifies that the board will conduct a hearing within a reasonable time prior to or upon the individual's release eligibility date.<br />