Assembly BillFailedPenal
AB 47: Elderly Parole Program.
What AB 47 does, verified February 3, 2026
This bill amends the law to establish stricter criteria for parole suitability under the elderly parole program. The program is designed for inmates 50 years of age or older who have served a minimum of 20 years of continuous incarceration. The bill requires special consideration of risk factors when reviewing parole eligibility for these inmates. However, inmates who are required to register as sex offenders are not eligible for parole until they reach 60 years of age or older and have served at least 25 years of continuous incarceration. This change aims to protect public safety by ensuring that sex offenders have served a sufficient period of time before being considered for parole.
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Last action: From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. (2026-02-02)Alert me
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| Feb. 02, 2026 | From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. |
| Jan. 31, 2026 | Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution. |
| May. 23, 2025 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 07, 2025 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Apr. 29, 2025 | Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
Latest bill textAmended version, April 28, 2025 · 912 words
| Amended IN Assembly April 28, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 47
| Introduced by Assembly Member Nguyen (Coauthor: Assembly Member Alanis) |
December 02, 2024 |
An act to amend Section 3055 of the Penal Code, relating to parole.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 47, as amended, Nguyen. Elderly Parole Program.
Existing law establishes the Elderly Parole Program for the purpose of reviewing the parole suitability of inmates who are 50 years of age or older and who have served a minimum of 20 years of continuous incarceration on their sentence. Existing law requires the Board of Parole Hearings, when considering the release of qualifying inmates, to give special consideration to whether certain criteria have reduced the elderly inmate’s risk for future violence. Existing law excludes various persons from these provisions, including persons convicted of serious felonies or persons sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. sentenced pursuant to existing sentencing provisions commonly known as the three strikes law. Under an existing court order, although statutorily excluded, an individual may be eligible for parole under the Elderly Parole Program when they are 60 years of age or older and have been continuously incarcerated for at least 25 years.
This bill would additionally exclude instead specify that persons required to register as sexual offenders, habitual sexual offenders, and persons convicted of various sexual offenses, including rape or sodomy. sodomy, are not suitable for parole under the Elderly Parole Program until the person is 60 years of age or older and has served a minimum of 25 years of continuous incarceration on their current sentence.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 3055 of the Penal Code is amended to read:3055.
(a) The Elderly Parole Program is hereby established, to be administered by the Board of Parole Hearings, for purposes of reviewing the parole suitability of any inmate who is 50 years of age or older and has served a minimum of 20 years of continuous incarceration on the inmate’s current sentence, serving either a determinate or indeterminate sentence.(b) (1) For purposes of this code, the term “elderly parole eligible date” means the date on which an inmate who qualifies as an elderly offender is eligible for release from prison.
(2) For purposes of this section, “incarceration” means detention in a city or county jail, local juvenile facility, a mental health facility, or a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facility for adults or juveniles.
(c) When considering the release of an inmate specified by subdivision (a) pursuant to Section 3041, the board shall give special consideration to whether age, time served, and diminished physical condition, if any, have reduced the elderly inmate’s risk for future violence.
(d) When scheduling a parole consideration hearing date pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 3041.5 or when considering a request for an advance hearing pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 3041.5, the board shall consider whether the inmate meets or will meet the criteria specified in subdivision (a).
(e) An individual who is subject to this section shall meet with the board pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 3041. If an inmate is found suitable for parole under the Elderly Parole Program, the board shall release the individual on parole as provided in Section 3041.
(f) If parole is not granted, the board shall set the time for a subsequent elderly parole hearing in accordance with paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 3041.5. A subsequent elderly parole hearing shall not be necessary if the offender is released pursuant to other statutory provisions prior to the date of the subsequent hearing.
(g) This section does not apply to cases in which sentencing occurs pursuant to Section 1170.12, subdivisions (b) to (i), inclusive, of Section 667, or in cases which an individual was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole or death.
(h)This section does not apply to cases in which sentencing occurs pursuant to Section 667.61 or 667.71, or cases where an individual is required to register pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 290.
(h) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a person sentenced pursuant to Section 667.61 or 667.71 shall not be suitable under this section unless the person is 60 years of age or older and has served a minimum of 25 years of continuous incarceration on their current sentence.
(i) This section does not apply if the person was convicted of first-degree murder if the victim was a peace officer, as defined in Section 830.1, 830.2, 830.3, 830.31, 830.32, 830.33, 830.34, 830.35, 830.36, 830.37, 830.4, 830.5, 830.6, 830.10, 830.11, or 830.12, who was killed while engaged in the performance of their duties, and the individual knew, or reasonably should have known, that the victim was a peace officer engaged in the performance of their duties, or the victim was a peace officer or a former peace officer under any of the above-enumerated sections, and was intentionally killed in retaliation for the performance of their official duties.
(j) This section does not alter the rights of victims at parole hearings.
(k) By December 31, 2022, the board shall complete all elderly parole hearings for individuals who were sentenced to determinate or indeterminate terms and who, on the effective date of the bill that added this subdivision, are or will be entitled to have their parole suitability considered at an elderly parole hearing before January 1, 2023.
Text of AB 47 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions