§ 6139. Parole procedure
Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated StatutesTitle 61 Pa.C.S.A. Prisons and ParoleEffective: June 30, 2021
Effective: June 30, 2021
61 Pa.C.S.A. § 6139
§ 6139. Parole procedure
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (2), the board shall not be required to consider nor dispose of an application by an offender or an offender's attorney where a parole decision has been issued by the board on that case within one year of the date of the current application for parole.
(3.1) Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), the board shall not be required to consider nor to dispose of an application by an offender or an offender's attorney in the case of an offender sentenced under 18 Pa.C.S. § 1102.1 (relating to sentence of persons under the age of 18 for murder, murder of an unborn child and murder of a law enforcement officer) if a parole decision has been issued by the board within five years of the date of the current application.
(3.2) Nothing under this section shall be interpreted as granting a right to be paroled to any offender, and a decision by the board and its designees relating to an offender sentenced under 18 Pa.C.S. § 1102.1 may not be considered an adjudication under 2 Pa.C.S. Chs. 5 Subch. A (relating to practice and procedure of Commonwealth agencies) and 7 Subch. A (relating to judicial review of Commonwealth agency action).
(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (2) and (3), if a parole decision has been issued by the board within three years of the date of the current application, the board shall not be required to consider nor dispose of an application by an offender or an offender's attorney in the case of an offender sentenced under any of the following provisions of 18 Pa.C.S. (relating to crimes and offenses):
Section 2502(c) (relating to murder).
Section 2503 (relating to voluntary manslaughter).
Section 2901(a.1) (relating to kidnapping).
Section 3011(b) (relating to trafficking in individuals).
Section 3012 (relating to involuntary servitude).
Section 3121 (relating to rape).
Section 3122.1(b) (relating to statutory sexual assault).
Section 3123 (relating to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse).
Section 3124.1 (relating to sexual assault).
Section 3124.2(a.1) (relating to institutional sexual assault).
Section 3125 (relating to aggravated indecent assault).
Section 3126(a)(7) (relating to indecent assault).
Section 4302(b) (relating to incest).
(ii) Nothing under this paragraph shall be interpreted as granting a right to be paroled to any person, and a decision by the board and its designees relating to a person sentenced to an offense as set forth under this paragraph may not be considered an adjudication under 2 Pa.C.S. Chs. 5 Subch. A and 7 Subch. A.
(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (2) and (3), if a parole decision has been issued by the board within three years of the date of the current application, the board shall not be required to consider nor dispose of an application by an offender or an offender's attorney in the case of an offender designated as a sexually violent predator under 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 97 Subch. H (relating to registration of sexual offenders) or I (relating to continued registration of sexual offenders).1
(6) In no case shall parole be granted unless a board member, hearing examiner or other person so designated by the board shall have seen and heard the offender in person in regard thereto within six months prior to the granting or dismissal thereof. Such in-person interviews may be conducted via videoconferencing or similar virtual presence technology. This requirement does not apply to paroles under section 6137.1 (relating to short sentence parole).
(b) Reliance on reports.--In granting and revoking paroles and in discharging from parole, the members of the board acting thereon shall not be required to personally hear or see all the witnesses and evidence submitted to them for their action, but they may act on the report submitted to them by the department's agents and employees, together with any pertinent and adequate information furnished to them by fellow members of the board or by others. In granting or revoking parole or bringing an alleged parole violator before a hearing examiner, the appearance may be conducted via videoconferencing or similar virtual presence technology. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a hearing examiner, hearing officer or member of the board charged with making the parole release decision shall be required to hear and see in person, without the use of videoconferencing or similar virtual presence technology, any in-person victim testimony under section 6140 (relating to victim statements, testimony and participation in hearing) or under section 502(b) of the act of November 24, 1998 (P.L. 882, No. 111),2 known as the Crime Victims Act. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or reduce the rights of victims under section 6140 or under section 502(b) of the Crime Victims Act.
(c) Notice to district attorney.--At least ten days before paroling an offender on its own motion, the board shall give written notice of the contemplated parole to the district attorney of the county in which the offender was sentenced, and, in cases of hearings on applications for parole as provided for in this section, at least ten days' written notice of the time and place fixed for such hearing shall be given either by the board or by the offender or the offender's attorney, as the board shall direct, to the court and district attorney of the county in which the offender was sentenced.
Credits
2009, Aug. 11, P.L. 147, No. 33, § 7, effective in 60 days [Oct. 13, 2009]. Amended 2012, Oct. 25, P.L. 1655, No. 204, § 10; 2019, Dec. 18, P.L. 776, No. 115, § 21, effective in 120 days [April 16, 2020]; 2020, Nov. 25, P.L. 1219, No. 124, § 1, imd. effective; 2021, June 30, P.L. 260, No. 59, § 21.1, imd. effective.
61 Pa.C.S.A. § 6139, PA ST 61 Pa.C.S.A. § 6139
Current through Act 11 of the 2024 Regular Session. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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