Alabama parole officials may use prison or shorter sanctions for violations

The board must revoke parole for some violations and may revoke it for others. These rules cover parolees whose violation or underlying offense falls into one of the listed categories. For a parolee whose original offense falls into the listed serious categories, the board must revoke parole and require service of all or part of the remaining sentence in state prison. For absconding, possessing a firearm, or arrest or conviction for a new offense, the board may revoke parole and require service of all or part of the remaining sentence in state prison. The prison term is calculated from the parolee’s rearrest as a delinquent parolee.

The board may order a short confinement term for other violations. This option applies to parolees outside the categories for which the board must or may revoke parole and send them to state prison. For other parolees, the board may order up to 45 consecutive days in a residential transition center or a county jail that agrees to take parolees. A parolee may receive only three such confinement terms. After a term ends, the parolee automatically returns to supervision for the rest of the sentence. Time already in custody counts toward the limit, and total confinement cannot exceed the original sentence. A sheriff may refuse admission to, or release a parolee from, a regular county jail for a serious health condition, security risk, or when the jail is near, at, or over capacity. After confinement ends, the parolee automatically returns to parole supervision for the remaining sentence.

A parole officer may impose treatment, monitoring, or short jail stays after an administrative review and supervisor approval. These sanctions apply when a parolee violates parole terms and conditions. Sanctions may include behavior or substance use treatment, GPS monitoring, other treatment set by the board or supervising officer, or short stays in the county jail where the violation occurred. Jail stays are limited to six days per month during up to three separate months, in two or three consecutive day periods, and no more than nine days in total. Before a sanction, the parolee must receive a report of the alleged violations and evidence and be told about the right to a parole court, present evidence and witnesses, have counsel, and question adverse witnesses. A signed waiver of those rights, approved by a supervisor, allows the listed sanction without a review request. This law takes effect October 1, 2026.