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Regular Session, 2012
SENATE BILL NO. 317
BY SENATOR MARTINY
JUVENILE JUSTICE. Provides relative to parole eligibility for certain juveniles. (8/1/12)
AN ACT1
To amend and reenact R.S. 15:574.4(B) and to enact R.S. 15:574.4(D), relative to juvenile2
parole eligibility; to provide relative to juvenile parole eligibility; to provide for3
parole eligibility for juveniles sentenced to life imprisonment for certain offenses;4
to provide for exceptions; to provide for conditions; and to provide for related5
matters.6
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:7
Section 1. R.S. 15:574.4(B) is hereby amended and reenacted and R.S. 15:574.4(D)8
is hereby enacted to read as follows: 9
ยง574.4. Parole; eligibility10
* * *11
B. No person shall be eligible for parole consideration who has been12
convicted of armed robbery and denied parole eligibility under the provisions of R.S.13
14:64. No Except as provided in Subsection D of this Section, no prisoner serving14
a life sentence shall be eligible for parole consideration until his life sentence has15
been commuted to a fixed term of years. No prisoner sentenced as a serial sexual16
offender shall be eligible for parole. No prisoner may be paroled while there is17 SB NO. 317
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pending against him any indictment or information for any crime suspected of having1
been committed by him while a prisoner. Notwithstanding any other provisions of2
law to the contrary, a person convicted of a crime of violence and not otherwise3
ineligible for parole shall serve at least eighty-five percent of the sentence imposed,4
before being eligible for parole. The victim or victim's family shall be notified5
whenever the offender is to be released provided that the victim or victim's family6
has completed a Louisiana victim notice and registration form as provided in R.S.7
46:1841 et seq., or has otherwise provided contact information and has indicated to8
the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Crime Victims Services Bureau,9
that they desire such notification.10
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D.(1) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any person12
serving a sentence of life imprisonment who was under the age of eighteen years13
at the time of the commission of the offense, except for a person serving a life14
sentence for a conviction of first degree murder (R.S. 14:30) or second degree15
murder (R.S. 14:30.1), shall be eligible for parole consideration pursuant to the16
provisions of this Subsection if all of the following conditions have been met:17
(a) The offender has served twenty years of the sentence imposed and18
is at least forty-five years of age.19
(b) The offender has not committed any serious disciplinary offenses, as20
defined by the Disciplinary Rules for Adult Offenders adopted by the21
Department of Public Safety and Corrections, within twelve consecutive months22
prior to the review.23
(2) For each offender eligible for parole consideration pursuant to the24
provisions of this Subsection, the board shall meet in a three-member panel and25
all of the following shall occur:26
(a) Each member of the panel shall be provided with and shall consider27
all of the following:28
(i) The offender's validated risk assessment instrument which shall be29 SB NO. 317
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prepared by the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections1
for use in evaluating the risks associated with releasing the offender on parole.2
(ii) A written evaluation of the offender by a person who has expertise3
in adolescent brain development and behavior.4
(iii) Any other relevant evidence pertaining to the offender.5
(b) The panel shall decide, by a majority vote, whether or not to release6
the offender on parole.7
(c) The panel shall render specific findings of fact in support of its8
decision.9
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Cathy R. Wells.
DIGEST
Present law allows persons who were under the age of 18 at the time of the commission of
the offense to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the benefit of parole for certain
crimes, including first degree murder, second degree murder, aggravated rape, and
aggravated kidnaping.
In the case of Graham v. Florida (130 S.Ct. 2011 (2010)), the U.S. Supreme Court held that
the Eighth Amendment's "cruel and unusual punishment" clause does not permit a juvenile
offender to be sentenced to life in prison without a reasonable opportunity for parole for a
non-homicide crime.
Proposed law amends present law to allow persons who were under the age of 18 at the time
of the commission of the offense, except those persons serving a sentence for a conviction
of first degree murder or second degree murder, to be eligible for parole consideration upon
reaching the age of 45 and upon serving 20 years of the sentence imposed when certain
conditions have been met.
Proposed law provides for the procedure by which such parole decisions shall be made.
Effective August 1, 2012.
(Amends R.S. 15:574.4(B); adds R.S. 15:574.4(D))