House Bill No. 208, introduced by Representative Villio, amends the eligibility criteria for parole and the earning of good time credits for incarcerated individuals in Louisiana. The bill increases the requirement for offenders to be free of major disciplinary offenses from twelve months to thirty-six months prior to their release or parole eligibility. It also stipulates that inmates in parish prisons or under the Department of Public Safety and Corrections cannot earn good time credits if they are habitual offenders or if their current offense is a sex offense. Additionally, the bill introduces new definitions regarding the automatic earning of good time credits and eliminates earned compliance credits while on parole.

The legislation further clarifies the conditions for parole eligibility, particularly for offenders with split sentences, who must begin their probationary period immediately upon release. It also establishes that if an offender commits a new offense while on unsupervised parole, any previously earned good time credits will be served consecutively with the new sentence. The bill repeals provisions related to the revocation of parole for technical violations and credit for time served prior to a revocation hearing, aiming to streamline the process for handling parole violations. Overall, the proposed changes reflect a shift towards stricter standards for parole eligibility and the management of sentencing for specific offender categories.

Statutes affected:
HB208 Original: 15:2(B)(3), 15:1(F), 15:4(A)(4), 15:6, 15:9, 15:24(A)(5), 15:9(F)
HB208 Engrossed: 15:2(B)(3), 15:1(F), 15:4(A)(4), 15:6, 15:9, 15:24(A)(5), 15:9(F)