§ 15-22-36 — Authority to Grant Pardons and Paroles, Remit Fines and Forfeitures, Etc.; Notice of Board Action

(a) In all cases, except treason and impeachment and cases in which sentence of death is imposed and not commuted, as is provided by law, the Board of Pardons and Paroles, after conviction and not otherwise, may grant pardons and paroles and remit fines and forfeitures.
(b) Each member of the Board of Pardons and Paroles favoring a pardon, parole, remission of a fine or forfeiture, or restoration of civil and political rights shall enter in the file his or her reasons in detail, which entry and the order shall be public records, but all other portions of the file shall be privileged.
(c) No pardon shall relieve one from civil and political disabilities unless specifically expressed in the pardon. No pardon shall be granted unless the prisoner has successfully completed at least three years of permanent parole or until the expiration of his or her sentence if his or her sentence was for less than three years. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a pardon based on innocence may be granted upon the unanimous affirmative vote of the board following receipt and filing of clear proof of his or her innocence of the crime for which he or she was convicted and the written approval of the judge who tried the case or district attorney or with the written approval of a circuit judge in the circuit where he or she was convicted if the judge who tried his or her case is dead or no longer serving.
(d) The Board of Pardons and Paroles shall have no power to grant a pardon, order a parole, remit a fine or forfeiture, or restore civil and political rights until 30 days’ notice that the prisoner is being considered has been given by the board to the Attorney General, the judge who presided over the case, the district attorney who tried the subject’s case, the chief of police in the municipality in which the crime occurred, if the crime was committed in an incorporated area with a police department, and to the sheriff of the county where convicted, and to the same officials of the county where the crime occurred if different from the county of conviction; provided, however, that if they are dead or not serving, the notice shall be given to the district attorney, incumbent sheriff, and one of the judges of the circuit in which the subject was convicted. The board also shall be required to provide the same notice to the Crime Victims Compensation Commission.
(e)(1) If a victim, victim’s representative, or any other interested individual has provided a preferred method of communication to the board, at least 45 days prior to the board’s actions, the board may not approve or order a parole, pardon, remission of fine or forfeiture, restoration of civil and political rights, furlough, leave, or early release of a prisoner, unless a 30 days’ written notice of the board’s action to be considered has been provided to the victim named in the indictment, the victim’s representative, or any other interested individuals.
(2) To foster notification, the victim, victim’s representative, or other interested individuals should have a preferred mode or modes of notification on file with the board, submitted through the automated victim notification system or by direct request to the board or another authorized individual.
(3) If the victim, victim’s representative, or other interested individual has not been registered for notice through the automated victim notification system or otherwise made a direct request to the board for notice or to another authorized individual, if the victim’s information has not been updated, or particular modes of notification have not been requested at least 45 days in advance of the board’s action to be considered, the board, working with the appropriate district attorney and the Attorney General’s Office, shall exercise due diligence in locating the victim or the victim’s immediate family members. If all attempts to locate a victim or his or her immediate family members have failed, and the agent of the board certifies that due diligence has been exercised, the board shall not be limited in power or authority in any way to approve or order any parole, pardon, remission of fine or forfeiture, restoration of civil and political rights, furlough, leave, or early release of a prisoner.
(4) The notice shall be given by U.S. certified mail, return receipt requested, U.S. mail, electronic transmission, or by other commonly accepted method of delivery, upon a request made through the automated victim notification system or otherwise upon direct request made to the board or other authorized individual 45 days or more in advance of the board’s action to be considered and shall include:
a. The name of the prisoner or defendant involved.
b. The crime for which the prisoner or defendant was convicted.
c. The date of the sentence.
d. The court in which the conviction occurred.
e. The sentence imposed.
f. The actual time the prisoner has been held in confinement and the prisoner’s minimum release date, as computed by the Department of Corrections.
g. The action to be considered by the board.
h. The date, time, and location of the board meeting at which the action is to be considered.
i. The right of the victim named in the indictment, a victim’s representative, or if the victim is deceased as a result of the offense, the victim’s immediate family, as defined by the board’s operating rules, or, in the event there is no immediate family, a relative of a victim, if any, to present his or her views to the board in person or in writing.
Notice for robbery victims who were robbed while on duty as an employee of a business establishment shall be sufficient if mailed to the last address provided by the victim or as otherwise noted on the indictment or in the board files.
(5) If a victim, victim’s representative, or otherwise interested individual requests not to be notified, the request shall be made to the Board of Pardons and Paroles in writing or by electronic signature. Confirmation of a request to not be notified shall be provided to the victim so requesting. After a request is received, the board shall provide no further notifications, unless the victim, victim’s representative, and otherwise interested individual subsequently requests future notifications, at least 45 days in advance of the board’s action to be considered through the automated victim notification system or by contacting the board or other authorized individual in writing, in person, or by telephone.
(6) After the most recent victim information has been furnished to the board, pursuant to Section 12-17-184(9), the probation and parole officer assigned to prepare a pre-sentence or post-sentence investigation report shall at that time register the most recent information for the victim named in the indictment into the automated victim notification system. In case of a homicide, the information of immediate family members shall be entered into the automated victim notification system. If a surviving victim is a minor, information for parents or guardians shall be entered into the automated victim notification system. The probation and parole officer assigned to prepare a pre-sentence or post-sentence investigation report shall then report to the sentencing court that all most current victim information has been registered. The sentencing court shall then record into the case record that the victim information has been entered into the automated victim notification system.
(f) After any board action is taken granting any pardon or parole, the board shall promptly notify all persons who timely requested notice, pursuant to this section as to the action taken by the board and the conditions, if any, of any such parole or pardon via electronic notification through the automated victim notification system and posting publicly on a state agency website.
(g) Electronic notices as required by this section, Section 14-14-5, Section 15-22-23, Section 15-22-36.2, Section 15-22-36.3, and Section 15-22-26.2 shall be produced through the automated notification system developed and maintained by the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency. All data and records required to produce the notices shall be provided to the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency to be incorporated into the automated notification system. Board records and information accessible to the public through the automated notification system shall be limited to those notification items specified in subdivision (4) of subsection (e), as well as the offender’s age, sex, race, and unique identifiers. Records concerning the status of supervised offenders on probation and parole shall also be made available to the public, including information on when supervision began, the date the supervision term will end, and information on whether or how supervision was terminated. Otherwise, access to board records and information through the automated notification system shall be limited in use to the legitimate law enforcement purpose of entering and updating contact information on behalf of crime victims, assisting victims with registration, and ensuring victims receive notice. Information and records of the board accessible for law enforcement purposes through the automated notification system, in addition to that available to the public as specified above, shall be limited to the offender’s date of birth, the supervising officer’s name, the county of residence for those offenders currently supervised in Alabama, and the supervising officer’s phone number. Misuse of the automated notification system or records or information contained in the automated notification system shall be subject to criminal prosecution under Article 5A of Chapter 8 of Title 13A, as well as Section 41-9-601, Section 41-9-602, and any other law of this state.

Legislative History

(Acts 1939, No. 275, p. 426; Code 1940, T. 42, §16; Acts 1951, No. 599, p. 1030; Acts 1983, No. 83-750, p. 1249, §2; Act 2004-565, p. 1326, §1; Act 2011-681, p. 2006, §1; Act 2012-363, p. 904, §1(b)(3); Act 2015-185, p. 476, §3; Act 2019-393, §1.)