An incarcerated person diagnosed with a terminal illness could be released to a care facility or home setting under a bill advanced by an Iowa House subcommittee.
House Study Bill 314 would require that each case be reviewed by the Iowa Board of Parole. Victims of the offender could submit input, and people released for medical reasons would still be under supervision.
Bryan Widenhouse, a lobbyist with the nonprofit Families Against Mandatory Minimums, said the bill isn’t about being soft on crime, but about fiscal responsibility.
“This bill does not grant anybody release,” he said. “It only grants the opportunity for a review, and we hope that in any instance where a release is granted, all concerns are addressed and covered.”
Iowa is the only state without a compassionate release program, according to a 2022 report from Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
The Department of Corrections said six months of hospice care for an incarcerated person can cost $300,000 to $400,000.