HJ30: Geriatric parole; State Crime Commission to study the low use.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 30
WHEREAS, the number of older inmates has increased significantly in recent years; and
WHEREAS, incarceration has been shown to exacerbate the effects of aging due to a history of substance abuse among prisoners, inadequate preventative care, and stress linked to prison life; and
WHEREAS, Virginia spends approximately $32,000 on each inmate, and health care costs of aging inmates are expected to continue to rise, increasing the overall cost; and
WHEREAS, a majority of inmates eligible for geriatric parole are denied release; between January 2014 and March 2017, only 4.2 percent of eligible geriatric inmates were paroled; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Virginia State Crime Commission be directed to study the low use of geriatric parole in the Commonwealth.
In conducting its study, the Virginia State Crime Commission shall (i) examine the history of the use of geriatric parole in the Commonwealth and why so few inmates have been granted geriatric parole, (ii) compare the use of geriatric parole in the Commonwealth with the use of similar types of parole in other states, (iii) assess the current number of inmates and types of offenses that would be potentially appropriate for release on geriatric parole, (iv) determine any monetary cost to the Commonwealth of continuing to incarcerate persons eligible for geriatric parole or potential savings if more inmates were to be released on geriatric parole, and (v) provide recommendations on the appropriate structure for increasing the number of inmates eligible for geriatric parole.
Technical assistance shall be provided to the Virginia State Crime Commission by the Virginia Parole Board. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Virginia State Crime Commission for this study, upon request.
The Virginia State Crime Commission shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2020, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2021 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall state whether the Virginia State Crime Commission intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.