§ 502a - Release on parole
§ 502a. Release on parole
(a) No inmate serving a sentence with a minimum term shall be released on parole until the inmate has served the minimum term of the sentence, less any reductions for good behavior.
(b) An inmate shall be released on parole by the written order of the parole board if the board determines:
(1) the inmate is eligible for parole;
(2) there is a reasonable probability that the inmate can be released without detriment to the community or to the inmate; and
(3) the inmate is willing and capable of fulfilling the obligations of a law-abiding citizen.
(c) A parole shall be ordered only for the best interest of the community and of the inmate, and shall not be regarded as an award of clemency, a reduction of sentence or a conditional pardon.
(d) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, or any other provision of law to the contrary, any inmate who is serving a sentence, including an inmate who has not yet served the minimum term of the sentence, who is diagnosed as suffering from a terminal or debilitating condition so as to render the inmate unlikely to be physically capable of presenting a danger to society, may be released on medical parole to a hospital, hospice, other licensed inpatient facility or suitable housing accommodation as specified by the parole board. The department shall promptly notify the parole board upon receipt of medical information of an inmate's diagnosis of a terminal or debilitating condition. (Added 1997, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 61, eff. April 29, 1998.)