Overview
- A Franklin County Circuit Court in February invalidated the section that added strangulation, reckless homicide and carjacking to the violent offender category.
- After the court denied a stay request, Attorney General Russell Coleman asked the Kentucky Court of Appeals for immediate relief to halt the order.
- Coleman says the Kentucky Parole Board could move to release some of the more than 240 affected inmates without appellate intervention.
- The Safer Kentucky Act, which took effect in 2024, requires those offenses to serve 85% of a sentence before parole eligibility.
- Bill sponsor Rep. Jared Bauman says some offenders previously could seek release after 20% of their terms and argues the ruling puts victims at risk.