This bill amends several sections of the Iowa Code to adjust mandatory minimum sentences for various criminal offenses. Specifically, it establishes that individuals convicted of a forcible felony while in possession of a dangerous weapon must serve a minimum of one-half of their imposed sentence before being eligible for parole, replacing the previous requirement of five years. Additionally, habitual offenders, defined as those convicted of a class C or D felony with two prior felony convictions, will also be required to serve one-half of their sentence before parole eligibility.

The bill further modifies the parole eligibility for individuals convicted of conspiring to manufacture or deliver amphetamine or methamphetamine to a minor, changing the requirement from a minimum of ten years to one-half of the imposed sentence. It also stipulates that those convicted of child endangerment must serve between one-half and seven-tenths of their maximum sentence before being eligible for parole, an adjustment from the previous range of three-tenths to seven-tenths. Lastly, individuals convicted of a third or subsequent domestic abuse assault offense will now be required to serve between one-half and the maximum term of their sentence before being eligible for parole, as opposed to the previous requirement of one-fifth to the maximum term.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 902.7, 902.8, 902.8A, 124.401D, 726.6