83-192.

Board of Parole; chairperson; powers; duties.

(1) The Board of Parole shall:

(a) Determine the time of release on parole of committed offenders eligible for such release;

(b) Fix the conditions of parole, revoke parole, issue or authorize the issuance of warrants for the arrest of parole violators, and impose other sanctions short of revocation for violation of conditions of parole;

(c) Determine the time of mandatory discharge from parole;

(d) Visit and inspect any facility, state or local, for the detention of persons charged with or convicted of an offense and for the safekeeping of such other persons as may be remanded to such facility in accordance with law;

(e) Within two years after July 1, 2006, implement the utilization of a validated risk and needs assessment in coordination with the Department of Correctional Services and the Division of Parole Supervision. The assessment shall be prepared and completed by the department or the division for use by the board in determining release on parole;

(f) Review the record of every parole-eligible committed offender annually when he or she is within three years of his or her earliest parole eligibility date.

The review schedule shall be based on court-imposed sentences or statutory minimum sentences, whichever are greater. The board is not required to review the record of a committed offender when the committed offender's parole eligibility date is within one month of his or her mandatory discharge date. Nothing in such schedule shall prohibit the board from reviewing a committed offender's case at any time;

(g) Appoint and remove all employees of the board as prescribed by the State Personnel System and delegate appropriate powers and duties to them;

(h) Carry out its duties under section 83-962 during a correctional system overcrowding emergency;

(i) Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations; and

(j) Exercise all powers and perform all duties necessary and proper in carrying out its responsibilities under the Nebraska Treatment and Corrections Act.

(2) The chairperson of the board shall:

(a) Supervise the administration and operation of the board;

(b) Serve in an advisory capacity to the director in administering parole services within any facility;

(c) Interpret the parole program to the public with a view toward developing a broad base of public support;

(d) Conduct research for the purpose of evaluating and improving the effectiveness of the parole system;

(e) Recommend parole legislation to the Governor;

(f) Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for the administration and operation of the board;

(g) Take all actions necessary to assist the board in carrying out its duties under section 83-962 during a correctional system overcrowding emergency; and

(h) Exercise all other powers and perform all other duties necessary and proper in carrying out his or her responsibilities as chairperson.

(3) This section does not prohibit a committed offender from requesting that the board review his or her record. The board is not required to review a committed offender's record more than once a year, except as otherwise required by statute, including section 83-962.