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REFERENCE TITLE: executive clemency; decisions; time limits |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-fourth Legislature Second Regular Session 2020
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SB 1502 |
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Introduced by Senator Dalessandro
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AN ACT
amending section 31‑402, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to the board of executive clemency.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 31-402, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
31-402. Powers of board; powers and duties of governor; powers and duties of executive director; definition
A. For all persons who committed felony offenses before January 1, 1994, the board of executive clemency shall have exclusive power to pass on and recommend reprieves, commutations, paroles and pardons. No reprieve, commutation or pardon may be granted by the governor unless it has first been recommended by the board.
B. For all persons who committed felony offenses before January 1, 1994, all applications for reprieves, commutations and pardons made to the governor shall be at once transmitted to the chairman of the board, and the board shall return the applications with its recommendation to the governor. All applications for reprieves, commutations and pardons made to the governor shall include documentation that the victim or the victim's family was notified pursuant to section 31‑411, subsection H.
C. For all persons who committed felony offenses on or after January 1, 1994, in addition to the powers and duties prescribed in subsection A of this section, the board of executive clemency:
1. Is vested with the powers and duties of the board of pardons and paroles as they existed before January 1, 1994 to carry out the provisions of articles 3, 4.1, 5, 6 and 7 of this chapter.
2. After a hearing for which the victim, county attorney and presiding judge are given notice and an opportunity to be heard, may make recommendations to the governor for commutation of sentence after finding by clear and convincing evidence that the sentence imposed is clearly excessive given the nature of the offense and the record of the offender and that there is a substantial probability that when released the offender will conform the offender's conduct to the requirements of the law.
3. Shall receive petitions from individuals for whom the court has entered a special order allowing the person to petition the board pursuant to section 13‑603, subsection L and may make recommendations to the governor.
4. Shall receive petitions from individuals, organizations or the department for review and commutation of sentences and pardoning of offenders in extraordinary cases and may make recommendations to the governor.
5. Shall receive petitions from the state department of corrections alleging that an offender has violated the offender's terms and conditions of community supervision and has lapsed or is probably about to lapse into criminal ways or company. If the board determines that an offender on community supervision has violated the terms and conditions of community supervision the board may do any of the following:
(a) If the offender has not committed an additional offense, place the offender on electronic monitoring and order the offender to participate in a community accountability program pursuant to section 41‑1609.05.
(b) Revoke community supervision and return the offender to prison for the remainder of the offender's community supervision.
(c) Impose additional terms and conditions on the offender while keeping the offender on community supervision. If there is reasonable cause to believe that an offender who has been kept on community supervision has violated any term or condition of community supervision, any member of the board may petition the board to revoke community supervision. After a petition to revoke has been submitted, the chairman may issue a summons directing the offender to appear on a specified date for a revocation hearing or may issue a warrant for the offender's arrest. Nothing in this subsection limits the state department of corrections' authority with respect to submitting revocation petitions or issuing revocation warrants.
D. except as provided in subsection E of this section, any recommendation for commutation that is made unanimously by the members present and voting and that is not acted on by the governor within ninety days after the board submits its recommendation to the governor automatically becomes effective.
E. If the state department of corrections receives an application for commutation involving a prisoner who is in imminent danger of death, all of the following apply:
1. The department shall notify and submit the application to the board within thirty days after receiving the application.
2. The board shall hold a hearing on the application within fourteen days after receiving the application unless the board continues the hearing on a showing of good cause.
3. The board shall submit a recommendation for commutation involving imminent danger of death to the governor within five calendar days after the board makes the recommendation.
4. A recommendation involving imminent danger of death automatically becomes effective if the governor fails to act within fourteen days after receiving the recommendation from the board.
E. F. The executive director shall perform all administrative, operational and financial functions for the board.
F. G. The executive director may employ case analysts as deemed necessary within the limits of legislative appropriation and subject to title 41, chapter 4, article 4. The analysts shall aid the board in making investigations, in securing information and in performing necessary administrative functions to assist the board in passing on applications for parole and commutation.
G. H. The executive director may employ hearing officers as deemed necessary within the limits of legislative appropriation and subject to title 41, chapter 4, article 4. The hearing officers shall conduct probable cause hearings on parole, work furlough, community supervision and home arrest revocations or rescissions. Hearing officers shall assist the board in making investigations, securing information and performing necessary administrative functions.
I. For the purposes of this section, "imminent danger of death" means that an applicant while incarcerated in the state department of corrections has been diagnosed by a medical doctor as suffering from a medical condition that, in the doctor's professional medical opinion, will to a reasonable degree of medical certainty result in the applicant's death within six months.