OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma House has passed a bill that would authorize paroles for medically frail inmates.
The bill that passed with an 81-15 vote Tuesday would allow the Department of Corrections’ executive director to place an inmate with a medical disability on the parole review docket for consideration for compassionate parole, The Oklahoman (https://bit.ly/2rhxwrJ ) reported. Qualifying inmates would have to be at least 50 years old and serving time for a nonviolent offense.
A conference committee amended the original bill only to allow inmates serving time for five specific offenses to be eligible for the parole program. Those offenses are concealing stolen property, embezzlement, forgery, second-degree burglary and possession of a controlled or dangerous substance.
Rep. Greg Babinec, R-Cushing, a committee author of the amended bill, said the changes to the bill were made because some House members were concerned that some crimes deemed nonviolent in Oklahoma’s criminal code have violent characteristics.
The bill would also limit the number of inmates who would be eligible for the program by placing restrictions of what medical conditions qualify. An inmate would be considered medically frail if he or she is considered to be a minimal threat to society as a result of a medical condition and has a significantly impaired ability to perform two or more activities.
Under the bill, more than 1,400 inmates serving time for nonviolent offenses would be removed from parole consideration.
The Department of Corrections estimated the average cost of paying medical expenses for six months for frail inmates to be nearly $1,100 for offenders between the ages of 50 and 59, more than $2,100 for inmates between the ages of 70 and 79, and nearly $7,900 for inmates who are 80 and older.
The bill now goes to the Senate.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, https://www.newsok.com
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