Handbook

34Supervision of parolees is provided by the Arkansas Community CorrectionDepartment.PardonsPardons are granted by the Governor and are used to restore rights thatmay have been lost because of a criminal conviction. An application forpardon can be obtained from an Institutional Parole Officer.Executive ClemencyYou may apply to the Governor for executive clemency which can reducethe length of your sentence. If you are convicted of a Class A orClass Y felony or Capital Murder and your executive clemency is deniedby the Governor, you must wait four years from that date to reapply.The exception is Class Y drug crimes, which allow reapplicationafter only one year.Emergency Powers Act (EPA)The Emergency Powers Act gives the Board of Corrections the authorityto declare a prison-overcrowding emergency and to move parole/transfer eligibility dates forward by up to 90 days for eligible inmates.Even if the EPA is in effect, the Parole Board must still approve inmatesfor parole and an approved parole plan must exist prior to release.Under an expanded version of the EPA, inmates who were convicted ona nonviolent offense (except for those sentencing under Act 1326), areClass I or Class II, and have been in the ADC system for at least sixmonths and do not have violent disciplinary histories may be eligiblefor release up to one year early.Legal AssistanceThere are two licensed Arkansas attorneys to assist with legal adviceand explanations of court documents. The attorneys cannot representinmates in lawsuits against the Department of Correction or its employeesor on matters concerning criminal convictions. However, they canrepresent inmates in certain divorce and Department of Human Servicesmatters.