CHAPTER 3. The Board of Parole Hearings [5075. - 5081.]

Cal. Penal Code - PEN 3.

in effect

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5075. Section 5075.

(a) There is hereby created the Board of Parole Hearings. Any reference to the Board of Prison Terms in this code or any other law refers to the Board of Parole Hearings. As of July 1, 2005, the Board of Prison Terms is abolished. (b) (1) The Governor shall appoint 21 commissioners, subject to Senate confirmation, pursuant to this section. These commissioners shall be appointed and trained to hear only adult matters. Except as specified in paragraph (3), commissioners shall hold office for terms of three years, each term to commence on the expiration date of the predecessor. An appointment to a vacancy that occurs for any reason other than expiration of the term shall be for the remainder of the unexpired term. Commissioners are eligible for reappointment. (2) The terms of the commissioners shall expire as follows: (A) Seven shall expire on July 1, 2022. (B) Seven shall expire on July 1, 2023. (C) Seven shall expire on July 1, 2024. (3) The terms of the four commissioners whose positions were created by the act that increased the number of commissioners to 21 in paragraph (1) shall begin on July 1, 2021, and shall be as follows: one commissioner’s term shall be for one year, two commissioners’ terms shall be for two years, and one commissioner’s term shall be for three years. (4) The selection of persons and their appointment by the Governor and confirmation by the Senate shall reflect as nearly as possible a cross section of the racial, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic, and geographic features of the population of the state. (c) The Governor may designate a chairperson of the board periodically. The Governor shall appoint an executive officer of the board, subject to Senate confirmation, who shall hold office at the pleasure of the Governor. The executive officer shall be the administrative head of the board and shall exercise all duties and functions necessary to ensure that the responsibilities of the board are successfully discharged. The executive officer shall be the appointing authority for all civil service positions of employment with the board. (d) Each commissioner shall participate in hearings on each workday, except if it is necessary for a commissioner to attend training, en banc hearings or full board meetings, or other administrative business requiring the participation of the commissioner. For purposes of this subdivision, these hearings include parole consideration hearings and parole rescission hearings.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5075.1. Section 5075.1.

The Board of Parole Hearings shall do all of the following: (a) Conduct parole consideration hearings, parole rescission hearings, and parole progress hearings for adults under the jurisdiction of the department. (b) Conduct mentally disordered offender hearings. (c) Conduct sexually violent predator hearings. (d) Review inmates’ requests for reconsideration of denial of good-time credit and setting of parole length or conditions, pursuant to Section 5077. (e) Determine revocation of parole for adult offenders under the jurisdiction of the Division of Adult Parole Operations, pursuant to Section 5077. (f) Conduct studies pursuant to Section 3150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. (g) Investigate and report on all applications for reprieves, pardons, and commutation of sentence, as provided in Title 6 (commencing with Section 4800) of Part 3. (h) Exercise other powers and duties as prescribed by law. (i) Effective January 1, 2007, all commissioners appointed and trained to hear juvenile parole matters, together with their duties prescribed by law as functions of the Board of Parole Hearings concerning wards under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, are transferred to the Director of the Division of Juvenile Justice. All applicable regulations in effect at the time of transfer shall be deemed to apply to those commissioners until new regulations are adopted.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5075.5. Section 5075.5.

All commissioners and deputy commissioners who conduct hearings for the purpose of considering the parole suitability of prisoners or the setting of a parole release date for prisoners, shall receive initial training on domestic violence cases and intimate partner battering and its effects.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5075.6. Section 5075.6.

(a) Commissioners and deputy commissioners hearing matters concerning adults under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall have a broad background in criminal justice and an ability for appraisal of adult offenders, the crimes for which those persons are committed, and the evaluation of an individual’s progress toward reformation. Insofar as practicable, commissioners and deputy commissioners shall have a varied interest in adult correction work, public safety, and shall have experience or education in the fields of corrections, sociology, law, law enforcement, medicine, mental health, or education. In addition, insofar as practicable, commissioners and deputy commissioners may have professional or lived experience or educational background that may enhance the expertise of the parole board, including, but not limited to, the areas of social work, substance use disorder treatment, foster care, rehabilitation, community reentry, or the effects of trauma and poverty. (b) All commissioners and deputy commissioners who conduct hearings for the purpose of considering the parole suitability of inmates, the setting of a parole release date for inmates, or the revocation of parole for adult parolees, shall, within 60 days of appointment and annually thereafter undergo a minimum of 40 hours of training in the following areas: (1) Treatment and training programs provided to inmates at Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation institutions, including, but not limited to, educational, vocational, mental health, medical, substance abuse, psychotherapeutic counseling, and sex offender treatment programs. (2) Parole services. (3) Commissioner duties and responsibilities. (4) Knowledge of laws and regulations applicable to conducting parole hearings, including the rights of victims, witnesses, and inmates.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5076. Section 5076.

Each commissioner of the board shall devote his entire time to the duties of his office and shall receive an annual salary provided for by Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 11550) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5076.1. Section 5076.1.

(a) The board shall meet at each of the state prisons and facilities under the jurisdiction of the Division of Adult Institutions. Meetings shall be held at whatever times may be necessary for a full and complete study of the cases of all inmates whose matters are considered. Other times and places of meeting may also be designated by the board. Each commissioner of the board shall receive their actual necessary traveling expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties. Where the board performs its functions by meeting en banc in either public or executive sessions to decide matters of general policy, a majority of commissioners holding office on the date the matter is heard shall be present, and no action shall be valid unless it is concurred in by a majority vote of those present. (b) The board may use deputy commissioners to whom it may assign appropriate duties, including hearing cases and making decisions. Those decisions shall be made in accordance with policies approved by a majority of commissioners holding office. (c) The board may meet and transact business in panels. Each panel shall consist of two or more persons, subject to subdivision (d) of Section 3041. No action shall be valid unless concurred in by a majority vote of the persons present. In the event of a tie vote, the matter shall be referred for en banc review by the board. The commissioners conducting the review shall consider the full record that was before the panel that resulted in the tie vote. The review shall be limited to the full record that was before the panel that resulted in the tie vote. New evidence or comment shall not be considered in the en banc proceeding. A commissioner who was involved in the tie vote shall be recused from consideration of the matter in the en banc review. (d) Consideration of parole release for persons sentenced to life imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1168 shall be heard by a panel of two or more commissioners or deputy commissioners, of which only one may be a deputy commissioner. A recommendation for recall of a sentence under Section 1172.1 shall be made by a panel of two or more commissioners or deputy commissioners, of which only one may be a deputy commissioner.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5076.2. Section 5076.2.

(a) Any rules and regulations, including any resolutions and policy statements, promulgated by the Board of Parole Hearings, shall be promulgated and filed pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and shall, to the extent practical, be stated in language that is easily understood by the general public. (b) The Board of Parole Hearings shall maintain, publish and make available to the general public, a compendium of its rules and regulations, including any resolutions and policy statements, promulgated pursuant to this section. (c) The exception specified in this subdivision to the procedures specified in this section shall apply to the Board of Parole Hearings. The executive officer may specify an effective date that is any time more than 30 days after the rule or regulation is filed with the Secretary of State. However, no less than 20 days prior to that effective date, copies of the rule or regulation shall be posted in conspicuous places throughout each institution and shall be mailed to all persons or organizations who request them.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5076.3. Section 5076.3.

The executive officer of the Board of Parole Hearings shall have the authority of a head of a department set forth in subdivision (e) of Section 11181 of the Government Code to issue subpoenas as provided in Article 2 (commencing with Section 11180) of Chapter 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The board shall adopt regulations on the policies and guidelines for the issuance of subpoenas.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5077. Section 5077.

The Board of Prison Terms shall review the prisoners’ requests for reconsideration of denial of good-time credit, and setting of parole length or conditions, and shall have the authority to modify the previously made decisions of the Department of Corrections as to these matters. The revocation of parole shall be determined by the Board of Prison Terms.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5078. Section 5078.

(a) The Board of Prison Terms shall succeed to and shall exercise and perform all powers and duties granted to, exercised by, and imposed upon the Adult Authority, the California Women’s Board of Terms and Paroles, and the Community Release Board. (b) The Adult Authority and California Women’s Board of Terms and Paroles are abolished.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5079. Section 5079.

The Director of Corrections shall provide facilities and licensed professional personnel for a psychiatric and diagnostic clinic and such branches thereof as may be required at one or more of the state prisons or institutions under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections. The director shall have full administrative authority and responsibility for operation of the clinics. All required mental health treatment or diagnostic services shall be provided under the supervision of a psychiatrist licensed to practice in this state, or a psychologist licensed to practice in this state and who holds a doctoral degree and has at least two years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorders. All such clinics shall be under the direction of such a psychiatrist or psychologist. A psychiatrist shall be available to assume responsibility for all acts of diagnosis or treatment which may only be performed by a licensed physician and surgeon. The work of the clinic shall include a scientific study of each prisoner, his or her career and life history, the cause of his or her criminal acts and recommendations for his or her care, training, and employment with a view to his or her reformation and to the protection of society. The recommendation shall be submitted to the Director of Corrections and shall not be effective until approved by the director. The Director of Corrections may modify or reject the recommendations as he or she sees fit.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5080. Section 5080.

The Director of Corrections may transfer persons confined in one state prison institution or facility of the Department of Corrections to another. The Board of Prison Terms may request the Director of Corrections to transfer an inmate who is under its parole-granting jurisdiction if, after review of the case history in the course of routine procedures, such transfer is deemed advisable for the further diagnosis, and treatment of the inmate. The director shall as soon as practicable comply with such request, provided that, if facilities are not available he shall report that fact to the Board of Prison Terms and shall make the transfer as soon as facilities become available; provided further, that if in the opinion of the Director of Corrections such transfer would endanger security he may report that fact to the Board of Prison Terms and refuse to make such transfer. When transferring an inmate from one state prison, institution, or facility of the Department of Corrections to another, the director may, as necessary or convenient, authorize transportation via a route that lies partly outside this state.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 5081. Section 5081.

The Governor may remove any member of the Board of Prison Terms for misconduct, incompetency or neglect of duty after a full hearing by the Board of Corrections.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026