HB 1550 — An Act amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, providing for parole for reasons of age and for medical parole under certain circumstances.

PRINTER'S NO.   1834

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                          HOUSE BILL
                          No. 1550
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY BURGOS, CURRY, RABB, CARROLL, WAXMAN, HILL-EVANS,
        HANBIDGE, SANCHEZ, KHAN, HOHENSTEIN, MAYES, PARKER, CEPEDA-
        FREYTIZ AND KRAJEWSKI, JUNE 3, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, JUNE 4, 2025


                                      AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in Pennsylvania Board of Probation and
 3      Parole, providing for parole for reasons of age and for
 4      medical parole under certain circumstances.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.     Title 61 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 8   Statutes is amended by adding sections to read:
 9   § 6144.    Parole for reasons of age.
10      (a)    Eligibility criteria.--The board may grant parole to an
11   incarcerated individual upon petition filed by either the
12   department or the incarcerated individual if all of the
13   following criteria are satisfied:
14             (1)   The incarcerated individual has attained a minimum
15      age of 50 years and has served either a minimum of 25 years
16      of imprisonment or one-half of the minimum sentence imposed
17      for the offense for which the individual is currently
18      incarcerated, whichever is less.
 1            (2)   The board determines that the incarcerated
 2      individual would not currently present a danger to other
 3      people or the general public if released on parole.
 4      (b)   Notice to department.--If an incarcerated individual
 5   files a petition for parole under subsection (a), the
 6   incarcerated individual shall provide a copy of the petition to
 7   the department no later than seven business days after filing
 8   the petition with the board.
 9      (c)   Notice to victims.--Within 30 business days of receipt
10   of a petition filed by an incarcerated individual under
11   subsection (a), or upon the filing of a petition by the
12   department on behalf of an incarcerated individual under
13   subsection (a), the board shall, subject to applicable
14   confidentiality provisions, take all of the following actions:
15            (1)   Provide written notice to the Office of Victim
16      Advocate and any registered victim of the incarcerated
17      individual's offense, informing the victim of the petition
18      and stating the general basis for the petition.
19            (2)   Afford the Office of Victim Advocate and any
20      registered victim of the incarcerated individual's offense a
21      period of 60 days to submit a written response to the board
22      regarding the petition.
23      (d)   Duties of board.--
24            (1)   The board shall, when issuing a decision on the
25      petition submitted under subsection (a), consider all of the
26      following:
27                  (i)    A response to the petition by the Office of
28            Victim Advocate and any registered victim of the
29            incarcerated individual's offense.
30                  (ii)    Recommendations by the secretary, if any.

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 1                  (iii)    The incarcerated individual's offense that
 2            resulted in the conviction.
 3                  (iv)    The incarcerated individual's sentence and time
 4            served for the conviction.
 5                  (v)    The incarcerated individual's current age,
 6            physical and mental condition and ability to function
 7            within a correctional environment.
 8                  (vi)    The incarcerated individual's postrelease care
 9            plan if a plan exists.
10                  (vii)    The incarcerated individual's disciplinary
11            record, a full set of records of accomplishments and any
12            records demonstrating rehabilitation while incarcerated.
13                  (viii)    The likelihood that the incarcerated
14            individual would pose a danger to others or the general
15            public if released. Based on physical and mental health,
16            employability, good behavior, leadership roles,
17            documented rehabilitation and number and array of support
18            letters from individuals within and outside the
19            correctional institutions where the incarcerated
20            individual has resided.
21            (2)   In granting parole for a petition submitted under
22      subsection (a), the board may impose any reasonable terms and
23      conditions of parole specifically tailored to the
24      circumstances relating to the sentence that is the least
25      restrictive of the incarcerated individual's individual
26      liberty.
27      (e)   Denial of petition.--If the board denies a petition for
28   parole under subsection (d):
29            (1)   The incarcerated individual may file a habeas corpus
30      petition in this Commonwealth challenging the denial. The

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 1      court shall act upon the petition by holding a hearing within
 2      60 days of receipt of the petition.
 3            (2)   The incarcerated individual or the department may
 4      submit a petition for parole under subsection (a) for
 5      reconsideration by the board within 30 days of receipt of
 6      notice of the denial.
 7            (3)   In addition to paragraph (2), the incarcerated
 8      individual or the department may submit a petition for parole
 9      under subsection (a) one year after the date that the initial
10      petition was filed.
11      (f)   Reports.--No later than September 1, 2026, and each
12   September 1 thereafter, the secretary shall submit to the
13   chairperson and minority chairperson of the Judiciary Committee
14   of the Senate and the chairperson and minority chairperson of
15   the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives a report
16   on petitions for parole under subsection (a) and shall make the
17   report available on the department's publicly accessible
18   Internet website. The report shall include a description of all
19   of the following for the previous year:
20            (1)   The number of incarcerated individuals granted and
21      denied parole, categorized by the criteria considered as the
22      grounds for parole.
23            (2)   The number of petitions initiated by or on behalf of
24      incarcerated individuals, categorized by the criteria
25      considered as the grounds for parole.
26            (3)   The number of petitions that department employees
27      assisted incarcerated individuals in drafting, preparing or
28      submitting, categorized by the criteria considered as grounds
29      for parole, and the final decision made in each petition.
30            (4)   The number of petitions filed by the department,

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 1    categorized by the criteria considered as the grounds for
 2    parole, and the final decision made in each petition.
 3        (5)    For each petition filed by the department based on
 4    the criteria under subsection (a)(1), the time elapsed
 5    between the date the incarcerated individual was diagnosed
 6    and the date the department filed the petition, categorized
 7    by the criteria considered as the grounds for parole, and the
 8    final decision made in each petition.
 9        (6)    For each criteria specified under subsection (a),
10    the number of incarcerated individuals who died while a
11    petition for parole was pending.
12        (7)    The number of visits to terminally ill incarcerated
13    individuals that were denied by the department due to
14    security or other concerns, and the reasons given for the
15    denials.
16        (8)    Costs associated with room, board, legal, medical
17    and other expenses related to the care of incarcerated
18    individuals who are at least 50 years of age, inclusive of
19    department labor and overhead.
20        (9)    Disabilities, both permanent and temporary and
21    physical and intellectual, degree of mobility,
22    neurodivergence and mental illness of incarcerated
23    individuals.
24        (10)    Violent acts documented prior to or during time
25    served, versus convictions of violent offenses where there
26    was no evidence of physical or psychological harm to others.
27        (11)    Certifications, training, degrees or course work
28    from accredited entities, apprenticeships, published works,
29    programs participated in or completed, work experience and
30    formal mentorship.

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 1      (g)     Regulations.--The board and the department shall
 2   promulgate regulations necessary to implement this section.
 3   § 6145.    Medical parole under certain circumstances.
 4      If a public or disaster emergency related to health is
 5   declared or a contagious disease outbreak occurs in a facility
 6   of the department which outbreak cannot protect vulnerable
 7   individuals, the board may grant medical parole to an
 8   incarcerated individual who, due to the incarcerated
 9   individual's age or underlying health conditions, is at risk of
10   serious complications or death should the incarcerated
11   individual contract the disease. The board may use any expedited
12   review process when granting medical paroles under this section
13   if, in the discretion of the board, it is necessary and
14   appropriate to release incarcerated individuals in a timely
15   fashion.
16      Section 2.     This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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