{"id":751963,"date":"2025-10-21T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/?p=751963"},"modified":"2025-10-20T13:53:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T18:53:06","slug":"parole-board-seeks-binding-opinion-on-medical-parole-statute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/10\/21\/parole-board-seeks-binding-opinion-on-medical-parole-statute\/","title":{"rendered":"Parole Board Seeks Binding Opinion on Medical Parole Statute"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-custom-everlit-iframe-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_xPk5YCpDRDK?client=wp&amp;client_version=2.6.0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<p>As the number of successful medical parole applications stagnates, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted unanimously earlier this month to request a legal opinion on who has the authority to refer a prisoner to the medical parole docket.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1KEYCLvVzqY3nxZvdgd5W2oItSbAOns_M\/view?usp=sharing,\"> letter<\/a>, which was delivered to the Attorney General\u2019s Office on Oct. 7, inquires whether the board\u2019s executive director may place an inmate on a medical parole docket. The Department of Corrections has interpreted<a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/codes\/oklahoma\/title-57\/section-57-332-18\/\"> the statute<\/a>, which the Legislature updated in 2021 with the goal of expanding eligibility, as giving its director the final say on medical parole referrals.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Resistance <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/07\/09\/odoc-fights-to-prevent-medical-parole-hearing-for-dying-prisoner\/\">from the Department of Corrections<\/a> has kept James Havens, a 73-year-old prisoner suffering from prostate cancer, from being placed on a medical parole docket. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2008 and sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, making him eligible under state law.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite a favorable recommendation from prison medical staff, DOC officials denied Havens\u2019 medical parole application in June. Havens has been hospitalized off-site at taxpayer expense since February, according to his attorneys, Christopher Garinger and Aaron Easton.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pardon and Parole Board Executive Director Tom Bates wrote that the request stemmed from a specific case, but noted that the board has faced numerous calls to adopt a broader interpretation of the statute.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Board\u2019s unilateral adoption of this legal interpretation would essentially reappropriate discretionary authority concerning parole from the Department of Corrections and may be met by countervailing interpretations either by DOC\u2019s counsel or the office of the governor,\u201d Bates wrote. \u201cConversely, the state\u2019s exposure to litigation will increase as long as the question remains outstanding, and the status quo unquestioned.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha show-image image-alignright ts-4 is-1 is-landscape is-style-borders\" style=\"\">\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"744274\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>the latest<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"754196\" class=\"tag-attorney-general tag-cdc tag-covid-19 tag-george-monks tag-measles tag-oklahoma-news tag-oklahoma-state-department-of-health tag-oklahoma-state-medical-association tag-whooping-cough category-health category-publichealth type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/05\/oklahoma-health-department-refuses-to-share-county-level-measles-data\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Oklahoma Health Department Refuses to Share County-Level Measles Data\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 782px) 600px, (min-width: 600px) 42.5vw, 90vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/05\/oklahoma-health-department-refuses-to-share-county-level-measles-data\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Oklahoma Health Department Refuses to Share County-Level Measles Data<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/author\/paulmonies\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt=\"Avatar photo\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/cropped-Paul-Monies.jpg?resize=48%2C48&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/cropped-Paul-Monies-96x96.jpg 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-48 photo\" height=\"48\" width=\"48\"><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/author\/paulmonies\/\">Paul Monies<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-01-05T06:01:00-06:00\">January 5, 2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-01-05T11:05:42-06:00\">January 5, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<p>Bates, who is set to retire on Nov. 30, declined to specify which case prompted the request. If the attorney general\u2019s office agrees with a broader interpretation of the statute, Bates said the board would be tasked with developing new rules and procedures for medical parole referrals. For instance, a referral could come directly from the agency\u2019s chief medical officer without going up to the director.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kay Thompson, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, said the agency has no opinion on the Pardon and Parole Board\u2019s request. The governor\u2019s office, which has the final say in granting parole to violent offenders, did not respond to a request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Garinger and Easton said they met with Pardon and Parole Board staff in early September to argue that the Department of Corrections has overstepped its authority. An agenda item requesting a legal opinion on the matter was placed on the board\u2019s Oct. 6 <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoma.gov\/content\/dam\/ok\/en\/ppb\/documents\/about\/agenda\/2025\/10.%20October%202025%20Meeting%20Agenda.pdf\">meeting agenda<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not the Department of Corrections\u2019 role in the scheme of corrections or rehabilitation to make those determinations just because they\u2019re the ones that employ the doctors,\u201d Garinger said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t make logical sense. And then the financial burden on the state of Oklahoma is huge, and if there\u2019s a way to offload that to somebody else, that\u2019s what the law says we\u2019re supposed to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision could affect release prospects for hundreds of other elderly and medically frail prisoners, a <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/03\/24\/aging-prison-population-strains-corrections-budget\/\">population that has surged<\/a> over the past 15 years. As of Dec. 31, 2024, 16.6% of Oklahoma\u2019s prison population was 55 or older, more than double the rate of 7.68% in 2009. Off-site annual medical costs for prisoners 60 or older now exceed $8 million, ODOC Chief Administrative Officer Jenna Thomas told lawmakers at an Oct. 1 interim study on sentencing reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the number of elderly prisoners released on <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/03\/06\/the-state-expanded-medical-parole-four-years-ago-but-the-number-of-medical-paroles-has-plummeted\/\">medical parole has plummeted<\/a>. Just six inmates have been granted medical parole since November 2021, down from 30 in three previous calendar years. A lengthy bureaucratic process makes it difficult to apply for medical parole without the assistance of legal counsel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Criminal justice reform advocates have argued for expanded medical parole and elderly release programs, pointing to studies that show a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vera.org\/publications\/compassionate-release-aging-infirm-prison-populations\">near-zero recidivism rate<\/a> for prisoners 65 or older. But the hesitancy to release prisoners convicted of serious offenses such as rape and murder has hindered adoption. About 92% of Oklahoma\u2019s prison population 60 or older was convicted of a violent offense, according to the Department of Corrections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s unclear how long it will take the attorney general\u2019s office to draft and release an opinion, though recent history shows the agency can expedite the process for pressing matters. Attorney General Gentner Drummond <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoma.gov\/oag\/news\/newsroom\/2025\/august\/drummond-issues-binding-opinion-nixing-ohp-plan-to-stop-patrolling-interstates-in-metro-areas.html\">delivered an opinion<\/a> on the legality of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol moving its troopers out of urban areas within seven weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe question is one of general law, not James Havens specific, but we would like a response sooner rather than later if at all possible,\u201d Easton said. \u201cIt will have real-world implications on our client.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"771\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=771%2C771&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-700099\" style=\"width:193px;height:193px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=771%2C771&amp;ssl=1 771w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=336%2C336&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=140%2C140&amp;ssl=1 140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=706%2C706&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?w=801&amp;ssl=1 801w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274-771x771.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Keaton Ross covers democracy and criminal justice for Oklahoma Watch. Contact him at (405) 831-9753 or <a href=\"mailto:Kross@Oklahomawatch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kross@Oklahomawatch.org<\/a>.\u00a0Follow him on Twitter at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_KeatonRoss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@_KeatonRoss<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:17px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-default wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-1 show-image image-aligntop ts-3 is-3 is-landscape is-style-default\" style=\"\">\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"748203\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>MORE FROM keaton ross <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"754183\" class=\"tag-attorney-general-gentner-drummond tag-corrections-2 tag-criminal-justice tag-darcy-jech tag-department-of-corrections tag-james-havens tag-kyle-counts tag-medical-parole tag-oklahoma-news tag-oklahoma-pardon-and-parole-board tag-senate-bill-320 tag-tom-bates category-corrections category-criminaljustice type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/02\/attorney-general-only-the-doc-director-can-refer-prisoners-for-medical-parole\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Attorney General: Only the DOC Director Can Refer Prisoners For Medical Parole\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" 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srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 782px) 400px, (min-width: 600px) 42.5vw, 90vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/23\/oklahomas-prison-population-climbed-in-2025\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Oklahoma\u2019s Prison Population Climbed in 2025<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-23T06:01:00-06:00\">December 23, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-26T09:48:59-06:00\">December 26, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"753965\" class=\"tag-attorney-general-gentner-drummond tag-campaign-finance tag-elections tag-legislature tag-oklahoma-ethics-commission tag-oklahoma-news tag-transparency category-democracy category-democracy-democracy category-government category-publicmoney category-transparency type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/19\/oklahomas-campaign-finance-database-is-back-online\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Oklahoma\u2019s Campaign Finance Database is Back Online\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 782px) 400px, (min-width: 600px) 42.5vw, 90vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/19\/oklahomas-campaign-finance-database-is-back-online\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Oklahoma\u2019s Campaign Finance Database is Back Online<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-19T13:30:00-06:00\">December 19, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-22T08:59:30-06:00\">December 22, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The legal opinion could simplify the medical parole process for terminally ill prisoners. 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