North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S681 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	S 1
4		-	SENATE BILL 681
	3	+	S D
	4	+	SENATE BILL DRS45181-ND-81
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: The Prison Resources Repurposing Act. (Public)
8	9		Sponsors: Senator Grafstein (Primary Sponsor).
9		-	Referred to: ~~Rules and Operations of the Senate~~
10		-	~~March 26, 2025~~
11		-	~~S681 -v-1~~
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRS45181 -ND-81
12	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	14		AN ACT TO EXPAND THE MUTUAL AGREEMENT PAROLE PROGRAM TO ALLOW 2
14	15		FOR THE PAROLE OF INMATES SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT 3
15	16		PAROLE. 4
16	17		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
17	18		SECTION 1. Chapter 15A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 6
18	19		Article to read: 7
19	20		"Article 85C. 8
20	21		"Parole Eligibility for Defendants Sentenced to Life Imprisonment Without Parole Under the 9
21	22		Mutual Agreement Parole Program. 10
22	23		"§ 15A-1380.6. Applicability. 11
23	24		Notwithstanding any other provision of law, inmates serving life imprisonment without 12
24	25		parole may be eligible for release pursuant to this Article under the Department of Public Safety's 13
25	26		Mutual Agreement Parole Program (MAPP) after serving a minimum of 20 years' imprisonment 14
26	27		and complying with mandatory educational, vocational, and work requirements. 15
27	28		"§ 15A-1380.7. Conditions of eligibility. 16
28	29		(a) Assessment. – Inmates serving a sentence of life imprisonment without parole shall 17
29	30		be assessed during the first five years of that sentence before becoming eligible for the Mutual 18
30	31		Agreement Parole Program (MAPP). During this assessment, the Department of Adult 19
31	32		Correction shall evaluate the inmate's behavioral, educational, and occupational needs. 20
32	33		After an inmate has completed the first five years of the inmate's sentence, the inmate may 21
33	34		be offered a 15-year MAPP contract. The contract shall take into account the assessment 22
34	35		performed during the first five years of the inmate's sentence. 23
35	36		(b) Mandatory Education. – After the completion of subsection (a) of this section, an 24
36	37		inmate participating in MAPP shall participate in mandatory education programs. The programs 25
37	38		shall include, at a minimum, the following: 26
38	39		(1) A General Education Diploma (GED) if the inmate does not already possess 27
39	40		a GED or high school diploma. 28
40	41		(2) A vocational trade program offered by the Department of Adult Correction. 29
41	42		The mandate to complete the education programs in subdivisions (1) and (2) of this 30
42	43		subsection may be satisfied by the inmate's completion of an accredited associate or bachelor's 31
43	44		degree program. 32
44	45		(c) Mandatory Work Requirement. – After the completion of subsections (a) and (b) of 33
45	46		this section, an inmate participating in MAPP shall work for Correction Enterprises, the Inmate 34
46	47		Construction Program, or any commensurate incentive wage occupation provided by the 35
47		-	Department of Adult Correction. An inmate shall maintain favorable employer evaluations to 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 Senate Bill 681-First Edition
	48	+	Department of Adult Correction. An inmate shall maintain favorable employer evaluations to 36
	49	+	FILED SENATE
	50	+	Mar 25, 2025
	51	+	S.B. 681
	52	+	PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	53	+	Page 2 DRS45181-ND-81
49	54		earn a promotion, and an inmate's work assignments may be transferred to minimum custody or 1
50	55		work release upon promotion. 2
51	56		"§ 15A-1380.8. Incidents of parole. 3
52	57		(a) Access to Parole. – Except as otherwise provided in this section, an inmate sentenced 4
53	58		to life imprisonment without parole shall be subject to the conditions and procedures set forth in 5
54	59		Article 85 of this Chapter, including the notification requirement in G.S. 15A-1371(b)(3), after 6
55	60		completion of subsections (a), (b), and (c) of G.S. 15A-1380.7. 7
56	61		(b) Term of Parole. – The term of parole for an inmate released pursuant to this Article 8
57	62		from imprisonment from a sentence of life imprisonment without parole shall be five years and 9
58	63		may be terminated earlier by the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission. 10
59	64		(c) Parole Violation. – An inmate sentenced to life imprisonment without parole who is 11
60	65		paroled pursuant to this Article and who then violates a condition of parole and is returned to 12
61	66		prison to serve the life sentence shall not be eligible for parole for five years from the date of the 13
62	67		return to imprisonment. 14
63	68		(d) Life Imprisonment Without Parole. – Under this Article, if an inmate sentenced to life 15
64	69		imprisonment without parole does not earn parole by complying with subsections (a), (b), and 16
65	70		(c) of G.S. 15A-1380.7, the inmate shall remain imprisoned for the inmate's natural life. 17
66	71		"§ 15A-1380.9. Retroactive application. 18
67	72		(a) Retroactive Parole Eligibility. – An inmate sentenced to life imprisonment without 19
68	73		parole who has already served 20 or more years in prison by August 1, 2025, and who has 20
69	74		completed some or most of subsections (a), (b), and (c) of G.S. 15A-1380.7 prior to that date 21
70	75		shall be eligible for a modified Mutual Agreement Parole Program contract of one to three years. 22
71	76		(b) Post-Release Supervision. – Upon release pursuant to this section, inmates shall serve 23
72	77		a period of five years of post-release supervision in compliance with G.S. 15A-1380.8." 24
73	78		SECTION 2. This act becomes effective August 1, 2025, and applies retroactively 25
74	79		and prospectively to those persons serving a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. 26