(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Permanently incapacitated" means, as determined by a licensed physician, that an inmate:
(A) Has a medical condition that is not necessarily terminal but renders him or her permanently and irreversibly incapacitated; and
(B) Requires immediate and long-term care; and
(2) "Terminally ill" means, as determined by a licensed physician, that an inmate:
(A) Has an incurable condition caused by illness or disease; and
(B) Will likely die within two (2) years due to the illness or disease.
(b) The Director of the Department of Correction or the Director of the Department of Community Correction shall communicate to the Parole Board when, in the independent opinions of either a Department of Correction physician or Department of Community Correction physician and a consultant physician in Arkansas, an inmate is either terminally ill or permanently incapacitated and should be considered for transfer to parole supervision.
(c) (1) Upon receipt of a communication described in subsection (b) of this section, the board shall assemble or request all such information as is germane to determine whether the inmate is eligible under this section for immediate transfer to parole supervision.
(2) If the facts warrant and the board is satisfied that the inmate's physical condition makes the inmate no longer a threat to public safety, the board may approve the inmate for immediate transfer to parole supervision.
(d) An inmate is not eligible for parole supervision under this section if he or she is required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration Act of 1997, ยง 12-12-901 et seq., and:
(1) The inmate is assessed as a Level 3 offender or higher; or
(2) A victim of one (1) or more of the inmate's sex offenses was fourteen (14) years of age or younger.
(e) The board may revoke a person's parole supervision granted under this section if the person's medical condition improves to the point that he or she would initially not have been eligible for parole supervision under this section.
Section: Previous 12-29-402 12-29-403 12-29-404 12-29-405 12-29-406 12-29-407 NextLast modified: November 15, 2016