2010-20560. Paroling, Recommitting, and Supervising Federal Prisoners: Prisoners Serving Sentences Under the United States and District of Columbia Codes  

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    AGENCY:

    United States Parole Commission, Justice.

    ACTION:

    Final rule.

    SUMMARY:

    The U.S. Parole Commission is amending a rule that implements its authority under the District of Columbia Youth Rehabilitation Act to set aside a conviction for a youth offender. The rule acknowledges the Commission's authority to set aside a youth offender's misdemeanor conviction and describes the information the Commission examines in making such a determination. Also, the rule clarifies the Commission's policy for issuing a set-aside certificate for a youth offender who was formerly on supervised release and who was not reviewed for the set-aside certificate before the offender's sentence expired. The rule adopts the Commission's established criteria for conducting set-aside reviews when a youth offender's parole term ends before such a review has been held.

    DATES:

    Effective Date: September 27, 2010.

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    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

    Rockne Chickinell, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Parole Commission, 5550 Friendship Blvd., Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815, telephone (301) 492-5959. Questions about this publication are welcome, but inquiries concerning individual cases cannot be answered over the telephone.

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    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    The District of Columbia Youth Rehabilitation Act authorizes the Parole Commission to set aside a conviction for a deserving youth offender who has been committed under that Act. DC Code 24-906. Normally, the Commission reviews a youth offender's case for issuance of a set-aside certificate after the offender has served a period of community supervision on parole or supervised release following discharge from the commitment portion of the sentence. DC Code 24-906(a), (c), and (d) require the issuance of a set-aside certificate if the Commission terminates parole supervision or supervised release before the expiration of the committed youth offender's sentence. Under Section 24-906(b), the Commission is also granted the authority to exercise discretion to set aside a committed youth offender's conviction if the offender's sentence expires before the Commission can review the case for the unconditional discharge of the offender. This situation will normally arise when: (1) A youth offender's jail term for a misdemeanor conviction expires and the offender is discharged from the custody of the DC Department of Corrections without further supervision in the community; or (2) a youth offender is unconditionally discharged from parole supervision or supervised release and the Commission somehow did not review the case for early termination from supervision.

    Until this rule change, the Commission's regulations did not address the agency's authority to grant a set-aside certificate for the misdemeanor youth offender, or the youth offender formerly on supervised release whose case somehow escaped Commission review before the expiration of the supervised release term. Nonetheless, the Commission has been carrying out its statutory authority to consider these offenders for set-aside certificates. To fill the gap in its rules, the Commission is amending 28 CFR 2.208(a) to provide a brief statement of the Commission's authority to issue a set-aside certificate after the youth offender's sentence expires, and the information the Commission would consider in granting or denying the set-aside certificate. For former supervised releasees, the amendment includes a cross-reference to § 2.106(f)(3), which describes the Commission's criteria for issuing a set-aside certificate nunc pro tunc for a youth offender who was on parole supervision and who was not reviewed for early termination from supervision (and the possible issuance of the set-aside certificate) before the expiration of the sentence.

    Executive Order 12866

    The U.S. Parole Commission has determined that this final rule does not constitute a significant rule within the meaning of Executive Order 12866.

    Executive Order 13132

    This regulation will not have substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between the national government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. Under Executive Order 13132, this rule does not have sufficient federalism implications requiring a Federalism Assessment.

    Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The final rule will not have a significant economic impact upon a substantial number of small entities within the meaning of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 605(b).

    Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

    The rule will not cause State, local, or tribal governments, or the private sector, to spend $100,000,000 or more in any one year, and it will not significantly or uniquely affect small governments. No action under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 is necessary.

    Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (Subtitle E—Congressional Review Act)

    This rule is not a “major rule” as defined by Section 804 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 Subtitle E-Congressional Review Act), now codified at 5 U.S.C. 804(2). The rule will not result in an annual effect on the economy of $100,000,000 or more; a major increase in costs or prices; or significant adverse effects on the ability of United States-based companies to compete with foreign-based companies. Moreover, this is a rule of agency practice or procedure that does not substantially affect the rights or obligations of non-agency parties, and does not come within the meaning of the term “rule” as used in Section 804(3)(C), now codified at 5 U.S.C. 804(3)(C). Therefore, the reporting requirement of 5 U.S.C. 801 does not apply.

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    List of Subjects in 28 CFR Part 2

    • Administrative practice and procedure
    • Prisoners
    • Probation and parole
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    The Final Rule

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    Accordingly, the U.S. Parole Commission is making the following amendment to 28 CFR part 2.

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    PART 2—[AMENDED]

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    1. The authority citation for 28 CFR part 2 continues to read as follows:

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    Authority: 18 U.S.C. 4203(a)(1) and 4204(a)(6).

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    2. Revise § 2.208(a)(2) to read as follows:

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    Termination of a term of supervised release.

    (a) * * *

    (2) Upon terminating supervision of a committed youth offender before the sentence expires, the Commission shall set aside the offender's conviction and issue a certificate setting aside the conviction instead of a certificate of discharge. The Commission may issue a Start Printed Page 51180set-aside certificate nunc pro tunc for a youth offender previously under supervised release on the sentence and who was not considered for early termination from supervision, using the criteria stated at § 2.106(f)(3). If the youth offender was sentenced only to a term of incarceration without any supervision to follow release, the Commission may issue a set-aside certificate after the expiration of the sentence. In such cases, the Commission shall determine whether to grant the set-aside certificate after considering factors such as the offender's crime, criminal history, social and employment history, record of institutional conduct, efforts at rehabilitation, and any other relevant and available information.

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    Dated: August 13, 2010.

    Isaac Fulwood,

    Chairman, U.S. Parole Commission.

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    [FR Doc. 2010-20560 Filed 8-18-10; 8:45 am]

    BILLING CODE 4410-31-P

Document Information

Comments Received:
0 Comments
Published:
08/19/2010
Department:
Justice Department
Entry Type:
Rule
Action:
Final rule.
Document Number:
2010-20560
Pages:
51179-51180 (2 pages)
Topics:
Administrative practice and procedure, Prisoners, Probation and parole
PDF File:
2010-20560.pdf
CFR: (1)
28 CFR 2.208