Background: House Bill 131 and Senate Bill 97 are companion bills that would prohibit any individual, who is charged with multiple offenses at the same time with a new federal, state, or local offense punishable by a term exceeding six months, to not be considered for parole until after the charge(s) has been disposed of — whether by trial or other means.
Our Position: We oppose HB 131 and SB 97. It's common for people to have charges that haven't been disposed of while they're incarcerated. Individuals who have been granted parole and have pending charges or convictions in other jurisdictions will already be held on a detainer and transferred to a county jail or another appropriate facility for them to serve time on that offense. These bills would allow the Alabama Department of Corrections to hold people unnecessarily, at a time when our prisons are severely overcrowded and understaffed. This legislation would also incentivize District Attorneys to not dispose of charges because they could keep people in prison indefinitely.
