A bill

to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by amending Section 24-13-125, relating to inmate Eligibility for work release, so as to reduce the percentage of an inmate's sentence that must be served to become eligible.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1.   Section 24-13-125(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

   (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except in a case in which the death penalty or a term of life imprisonment is imposed, or as provided in this subsection, an inmate convicted of a "no parole offense", as defined in Section 24-13-100, and sentenced to the custody of the Department of Corrections, including an inmate serving time in a local facility pursuant to a designated facility agreement authorized by Section 24-3-20 or Section 24-3-30, is not eligible for work release until the inmate has served not less than eighty seventy percent of the actual term of imprisonment imposed. This percentage must be calculated without the application of earned work credits, education credits, or good conduct credits, and is to be applied to the actual term of imprisonment imposed, not including any portion of the sentence which has been suspended. A person is eligible for work release if the person is sentenced for voluntary manslaughter (Section 16-3-50), kidnapping (Section 16-3-910), carjacking (Section 16-3-1075), burglary in the second degree (Section 16-11-312(B)), armed robbery (Section 16-11-330(A)), or attempted armed robbery (Section 16-11-330(B)), the crime did not involve any criminal sexual conduct or an additional violent crime as defined in Section 16-1-60, and the person is within three years of release from imprisonment. Except as provided in this subsection, nothing in this section may be construed to allow an inmate convicted of murder or an inmate prohibited from participating in work release by another provision of law to be eligible for work release.

SECTION 2.   This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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