§ 6138. Violation of terms of parole.
(a) Convicted violators.--
(1) A parolee under the jurisdiction of the board released from a correctional facility who, during the period of parole or while delinquent on parole, commits a crime punishable by imprisonment, for which the parolee is convicted or found guilty by a judge or jury or to which the parolee pleads guilty or nolo contendere at any time thereafter in a court of record, may at the discretion of the board be recommitted as a parole violator.
(2) If the parolee's recommitment is so ordered, the parolee shall be reentered to serve the remainder of the term which the parolee would have been compelled to serve had the parole not been granted and, except as provided under paragraph (2.1), shall be given no credit for the time at liberty on parole.
(2.1) The board may, in its discretion, award credit to a parolee recommitted under paragraph (2) for the time spent at liberty on parole, unless any of the following apply:
(i) The crime committed during the period of parole or while delinquent on parole is a crime of violence as defined in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9714(g) (relating to sentences for second and subsequent offenses) or a crime requiring registration under 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 97 Subch. H (relating to registration of sexual offenders).
(ii) The parolee was recommitted under section 6143 (relating to early parole of inmates subject to Federal removal order).
(3) The board may, in its discretion, reparole whenever, in its opinion, the best interests of the inmate justify or require the inmate's release on parole and it does not appear that the interests of the Commonwealth will be injured thereby.
(4) The period of time for which the parole violator is required to serve shall be computed from and begin on the date that the parole violator is taken into custody to be returned to the institution as a parole violator.
(5) If a new sentence is imposed on the parolee, the service of the balance of the term originally imposed by a Pennsylvania court shall precede the commencement of the new term imposed in the following cases:
(i) If a person is paroled from a State correctional institution and the new sentence imposed on the person is to be served in the State correctional institution.
(ii) If a person is paroled from a county prison and the new sentence imposed upon him is to be served in the same county prison.
(iii) In all other cases, the service of the new term for the latter crime shall precede commencement of the balance of the term originally imposed.
(5.1) If the parolee is sentenced to serve a new term of total confinement by a Federal court or by a court of another jurisdiction because of a verdict or plea under paragraph (1), the parolee shall serve the balance of the original term before serving the new term.
(6) Where the new term is to be served last or the balance of the term originally imposed by a Pennsylvania court is to be served last, and the service is, in either case, in any correctional facility:
(i) Any person upon recommitment shall be sent to the institution as shall be designated by the Secretary of Corrections or his designee.
(ii) Any female person shall be recommitted to the State Correctional Institution at Muncy.
(b) Subsequent arrest.--
(1) The formal filing of a charge after parole against a parolee within this Commonwealth for any violation of the laws of this Commonwealth shall constitute an automatic detainer and permit the parolee to be taken into and held in custody.
(2) The automatic detainer shall dissolve 15 days after the parolee is taken into custody unless sooner waived or otherwise superseded by direction of the supervising parole office.
(3) The automatic detainer shall be in addition to and not in lieu of any other detainer that prior to the effective date of this chapter may have been lodged in such circumstances.
(c) Technical violators.--
(1) A parolee under the jurisdiction of the board who violates the terms and conditions of his parole, other than by the commission of a new crime of which the parolee is convicted or found guilty by a judge or jury or to which the parolee pleads guilty or nolo contendere in a court of record, may be detained pending a hearing before the board or waiver of the hearing or recommitted after a hearing before the board or a waiver of the hearing. Detention and recommitment under this paragraph shall be in a community corrections center or community corrections facility, unless the board determines that one of the following conditions is present:
(i) The violation was sexual in nature.
(ii) The violation involved assaultive behavior.
(iii) The violation involved possession or control of a weapon.
(iv) The parolee has absconded, and the parolee cannot be safely diverted to a community corrections center or community corrections facility.
(v) There exists an identifiable threat to public safety, and the parolee cannot be safely diverted to a community corrections center or community corrections facility.
(1.1) If the board determines that a condition under paragraph (1) applies, the parolee shall be detained in or recommitted to a State correctional institution or contracted county jail.
(2) If the parolee is recommitted under this subsection, the parolee shall be given credit for the time served on parole in good standing but with no credit for delinquent time and may be reentered to serve the remainder of the original sentence or sentences.
(3) The remainder shall be computed by the board from the time the parolee's delinquent conduct occurred for the unexpired period of the maximum sentence imposed by the court without credit for the period the parolee was delinquent on parole. The parolee shall serve the remainder so computed from the date the parolee is taken into custody on the warrant of the board.
(4) Subject to subsection (e), the parolee shall be subject to reparole by the board whenever in its opinion the best interests of the inmate justify or require the parolee being reparoled and it does not appear that the interests of the Commonwealth will be injured reparoling the parolee.
(5) Parole violators shall be supervised in accordance with evidence-based practices that may include:
(i) Consideration of whether the offender poses a risk of safety to the community or himself.
(ii) The board's capacity to deliver programs that address criminal thinking behavior and related crime- producing factors.
(iii) Use of community-based sanctioning alternatives to incarceration.
(iv) Use of a graduated violation sanctioning process.
(v) Recommitment to:
(A) a State correctional institution;
(B) a contracted county jail;
(C) a community corrections center; or
(D) a community corrections facility.
(6) (Deleted by amendment).
(7) A parolee detained or recommitted to a community corrections center or community corrections facility under paragraph (1) shall be segregated from other offenders located at the facility.
(d) Recommitment to correctional facility.--A technical violator recommitted to a State correctional institution or a contracted county jail under subsection (c) shall be recommitted as follows:
(1) If paroled from a county prison, to the same institution or to any other institution to which the violator may be legally transferred.
(2) If paroled from a State correctional institution, to any State correctional institution or contracted county jail designated by the department.
(3) Except as set forth in paragraph (4) or (5), the parolee shall be recommitted for one of the following periods, at which time the parolee shall automatically be reparoled without further action by the board:
(i) For the first recommitment under this subsection, a maximum period of six months.
(ii) For the second recommitment under this subsection for the same sentence, a maximum of nine months.
(iii) For the third or subsequent recommitment under this subsection for the same sentence, a maximum of one year.
(4) The parolee may be reparoled by the board prior to expiration of the time period under paragraph (3) if the board determines that it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth and the parolee.
(5) The time limit under paragraph (3) shall not be applicable to a parolee who:
(i) committed a disciplinary infraction involving assaultive behavior, sexual assault, a weapon or controlled substances;
(ii) spent more than 90 days in segregated housing due to one or more disciplinary infractions; or
(iii) refused programming or a work assignment.
(e) Recommitment to community corrections center or community corrections facility.--
(1) A technical violator recommitted to a community corrections center or community corrections facility under subsection (c) shall be recommitted for a maximum period of six months, after which the parolee shall automatically be reparoled without further action by the board.
(2) A parolee under paragraph (1) may be reparoled by the board prior to expiration of the six-month period if the board determines that it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth and the parolee.
(3) This subsection shall not apply to a parolee who is not in good standing with the board.
(f) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Community corrections center." A residential program that is supervised and operated by the department in accordance with Chapter 50 (relating to community corrections centers and community corrections facilities).
"Community corrections facility." A residential facility operated by a private contractor that:
(1) houses offenders pursuant to a contract with the department; and
(2) is operated in accordance with Chapter 50.
"Contracted county jail." A county correctional facility which has contracted with the department to provide correctional or other services.
"State correctional institution." Any of the following owned and operated by the Commonwealth:
(1) A correctional facility.
(2) A prison.
(3) A jail.
(Oct. 27, 2010, P.L.931, No.95, eff. imd.; July 5, 2012, P.L.1050, No.122)
2012 Amendment. Act 122 amended subsecs. (a)(2), (c)(1), (2), (4) and (5)(v) and (d) intro. par. and (2) and added subsecs. (a)(2.1), (c)(1.1) and (7), (d)(3), (4) and (5), (e) and (f) and deleted by amendment subsec. (c)(6), effective in 60 days as to subsec. (a)(2) and (2.1) and effective in 180 days as to the remainder of the section.
2010 Amendment. Act 95 amended subsecs. (a), (c) and (d).
Special Provisions in Appendix. See section 10 of Act 33 of 2009 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to applicability.
Cross References. Section 6138 is referred to in sections 5003, 6139 of this title.
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