Parole hearings: language access.

Existing law imposes specified requirements on all hearings conducted by the Board of Parole Hearings for the purpose of reviewing a prisoner's parole suitability, or the setting, postponing, or rescinding of parole dates, including, among other things, that the incarcerated person be permitted to be present, to ask and answer questions, and to speak on their own behalf. This bill would require the board to translate specified blank templates of notices and forms into the 5 most common languages spoken by incarcerated persons who are eligible for a parole hearing. The bill would require the board, at least once every 5 years, to determine the applicable languages and, if there is a material change to one of those templates, to update the translated version within a reasonable time.