Correctional Services - Geriatric and Medical Parole

HB 190 requires Maryland’s Parole Commission to explicitly consider an incarcerated person’s age when evaluating parole eligibility, alongside existing factors like crime circumstances and public safety. It revises medical parole rules to mandate independent medical evaluations for inmates with chronic debilitation, terminal illness, or conditions preventing them from posing a danger to society. The bill also adds new procedures for the Commission to assess requests, including potential in-person meetings with inmates under specific medical circumstances. This directly affects elderly or severely medically compromised incarcerated individuals who may qualify for earlier parole under revised criteria. The law amends Maryland’s Correctional Services Code to formalize these changes in parole evaluation standards.