Objective Parole Guidelines

Crime Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Hart-Lowman ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Campbell
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: House - Died in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and has not become law, leaving its implementation uncertain.

Objective Parole Guidelines

This bill amends existing law to require the Florida Department of Corrections to develop and annually update objective parole guidelines based on statistical analysis and provide these analyses to state legislators.

What This Bill Does

Amends existing law to require the Florida Department of Corrections to develop objective parole guidelines for deciding when inmates can be released from prison.
Specifies that these guidelines must use an acceptable research method considering the seriousness of offense and likelihood of favorable parole outcome, including inmate participation in vocation, education, and self-betterment programs.
Requires the department to review and update these guidelines at least once a year based on statistical analysis using acceptable research methodology.
Requires the department to provide this yearly analysis to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.

Who It Names or Affects

The Florida Department of Corrections
Inmates in Florida prisons who are eligible for parole

Terms To Know

statistical analysis: A way of looking at numbers and data to understand patterns or trends.
parole guidelines: Rules that help decide when someone who is in prison can be released early, based on good behavior and other factors.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass the Criminal Justice Subcommittee and therefore has not become law.
It does not specify what happens if the department fails to provide the required analysis to the legislature.

Bill History

2026-03-13 House
• Died in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
2026-01-13 House
• 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
2025-10-07 House
• Referred to Criminal Justice Subcommittee • Referred to Judiciary Committee • Now in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
2025-09-29 House
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Objective Parole Guidelines; Provides additional requirements for objective parole guidelines; requires specified statistical analysis to be provided to Legislature.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB 61 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb61-00
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to objective parole guidelines; 2
amending s. 947.165, F.S.; providing additional 3
requirements for objective parole guidelines; 4
requiring a specified statistical analysis to be 5
provided to the Legislature; providing an effective 6
date. 7
8
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 9
10
Section 1. Section 947.165, Florida Statutes, is amended 11
to read: 12
947.165 Objective parole guidelines.— 13
(1) The commission shall develop and implement objective 14
parole guidelines which shall be the criteria upon which parole 15
decisions are made. The objective parole guidelines shall be 16
developed according to an acceptable research method and shall 17
be based on the seriousness of offense and the likelihood of 18
favorable parole outcome by identifying an inmate's use of 19
vocation, education, and self-betterment programs and courses in 20
the department. The guidelines shall require the commission to 21
not aggravate or aggregate each consecutive sentence in 22
establishing the presumptive parole release date. Factors used 23
in arriving at the salient factor score and the severity of 24
offense behavior category may shall not be applied as 25

HB 61 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb61-00
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

aggravating circumstances. If the sentencing judge files a 26
written objection to the parole release of an inmate as provided 27
for in s. 947.1745(6), such objection may be used by the 28
commission as a basis to extend the presumptive parole release 29
date. 30
(2) At least once a year, the commission shall review the 31
objective parole guidelines and make any revisions considered 32
necessary by virtue of statistical analysis of commission 33
actions, which analysis uses acceptable research and 34
methodology. The statistical analysis shall be provided to the 35
President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 36
Representatives upon completion. 37
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 38