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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Tony DeLuca |
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Bill would provide stricter parole guidelines
HARRISBURG, Jan. 11 – State Rep. Tony DeLuca, D-Allegheny, has introduced legislation that would provide stiffer penalties for offenders who commit a violent crime while on parole.
DeLuca's legislation (H.B. 2187) would mandate a person's parole be revoked if he or she is convicted of a violent crime, such as murder, rape or robbery that was committed while on parole. That person would be required to serve the full sentence for the offense for which he or she had been paroled.
"We need to pass this type of legislation to try and prevent incidents from happening similar to what occurred to Penn Hills police officer Michael Crawshaw, who was shot to death by a person who was in the state's parole system without serving his entire sentence for a previous offense," DeLuca said.
DeLuca said his legislation has over 70 co-sponsors from across the state and is intended to act as a deterrent to individuals on parole who may be considering a second crime.
The bill would also eliminate the discretion of the state Board of Pardons and Parole to parole the offenders. In addition, it would prohibit an individual who has lost his parole because of a second crime committed while on parole, from any future opportunity to gain parole.
DeLuca said the legislation is expected to be discussed in committee.
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