Definitions

As used in these rules, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) “Board” means the Tennessee Board of Parole or a member thereof. CONDUCT OF PAROLE PROCEEDINGS CHAPTER 1100-01-01 (2) “Chair” means the Board member appointed by the Governor for a two (2) year term to direct the operations of the Board and to fulfill the functions established by law for such position. (3) “Executive Director” means the person appointed by the Board to serve as chief administrative officer of the agency. (4) “Director” means the Director of Probation and Parole employed by the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) to perform the duties established by law for such position. (5) “District Director” means a TDOC employee responsible for management of one of several districts within the Department. (6) “Hearing Officer” means an employee appointed by the Chair to conduct parole hearings. (7) “Probation and Parole Officer” means a TDOC employee who supervises and investigates the conduct, behavior, and progress of offenders assigned to such person. (8) “Declaration of Delinquency” means a declaration made by the Director of Probation and Parole or designee which prevents an offender’s sentence from continuing to expire when such offender is alleged to be in violation of the conditions of his or her parole. (9) “Detainer” means a warrant or hold placed against an inmate by another jurisdiction (called the “detaining authority”) notifying the holding facility of the intention to take custody of the individual when he or she is released. (10) “Executive Clemency” means broadly, an act of leniency or an instance of mercy, which may be exercised by the Governor in all criminal cases after conviction, except in cases of impeachment. Included within the Governor’s clemency powers are: (a) “Commutation” means a discretionary act of the Governor, which reduces a prisoner’s sentence from a greater to a lesser degree with the extent of such reduction being totally within the discretion of the Governor. (b) “Conditional Pardon” means a pardon granted upon such conditions and with such restrictions and limitations as the Governor deems proper. (c) “Exoneration” means the discretionary act of the Governor of abolishing a conviction and restoring all rights of a person based upon innocence in the case at issue under T.C.A. § 40-27-109. (d) “Pardon” means a discretionary act of the Governor which forgives the defendant or extinguishes his crime thereby granting such defendant full relief from all or any portion of his or her sentence remaining at the time of pardon. (e) “Reprieve” or “Respite” means a discretionary act of the Governor which withholds a sentence for an interval of time or a sentence of death for a stated specific period of time, thus having the effect of suspending the execution of the sentence for the duration of the reprieve or respite. (11) “Inmate” means a felony offender who is in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction, a jail or workhouse, or is serving a Tennessee sentence in another jurisdiction. (12) “Mandatory Parole” means a parole, which the Board is required to grant to certain inmates who have never been paroled or granted parole of any type prior to the expiration of their CONDUCT OF PAROLE PROCEEDINGS CHAPTER 1100-01-01 sentence. All sex offenders must meet the requirements of T.C.A. § 40-28-116 before being released on mandatory parole. (13) “Offender” means an inmate who has been placed on parole. (14) “Parole” means the release of an inmate to the community by the Board prior to the expiration of his or her term, subject to conditions imposed by the Board and subject to TDOC supervision; or where a court or other authority has issued a warrant against the offender, and the Board, in its discretion, releases him or her to answer the warrant of such court or authority. (15) “Parole Hearing” means the process by which a decision is made to grant, deny, revoke, or rescind parole. Such hearing may or may not be in person. This determination is made subject to the classification of offense for which the inmate stands convicted. (16) “Pre-parole Rescission” means the procedure by which the Board may terminate an inmate’s grant of parole, before the inmate is actually released on parole, due to conduct, violations or omissions committed by such inmate prior to his or her release, or pertinent information that was not available at the time of the hearing. (17) “Parole Revocation” means the formal procedure by which the Board may terminate or revoke an offender’s release on parole for conduct or omissions which violate the conditions of such offender’s parole after his or her release. (18) “Post-parole Rescission Hearing” means the procedure by which the Board may terminate an offender’s grant of parole, after such offender is actually released on parole, due to conduct, violations or omissions committed by such offender, significant information fraudulently given or withheld by the offender or on behalf of the offender, or other information the Board was unaware of at the time of the parole grant. (19) “Preliminary Hearing” means the initial hearing conducted by a Hearings Officer, to determine whether probable cause exists to believe an offender has violated the conditions of his or her parole in an important respect.