23. a. The appropriate board panel and the Department of Corrections shall enter into formal parole contract agreements with officials of the board and officials of the Department of Corrections and individual parolees or inmates reduced to writing and signed by all parties. The parole contract agreements shall stipulate individual programs of education, training, or other activity which shall result in a specified reduction of the parolee’s parole term pursuant to section 22 of P.L.1979, c.441 (C. 30:4-123.66) or the inmate’s primary parole eligibility date pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1979, c.441 (C. 30:4-123.52), upon such successful completion of the program. The formal parole contract agreements required under this subsection shall be entered into within two months of an inmate’s admission to a correctional facility.

b. Any parolee or inmate shall be permitted to apply to the board for such an agreement. The board panel shall accept all such applications. The board panel shall approve any application consistent with eligibility requirements promulgated by the board pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1979, c.441 (C. 30:4-123.48).

c. Upon approval of the parolee or inmate’s application, the board panel shall be responsible for specifying the components necessary for the agreement. Upon acceptance of the agreement by the Department of Corrections, by the board panel, and by the parolee or the inmate, the board panel shall reduce the agreement to writing and monitor compliance with the parole contract agreement at least once every 12 months. The parolee or inmate and the Department of Corrections shall be given a copy of the agreement.

d. An agreement shall be terminated by the board panel in the event the parolee or inmate fails to or refuses to satisfactorily complete each component of the agreement. The inmate or parolee shall be notified in writing of a termination and the reasons for the termination. A termination may be appealed to the full board pursuant to section 14 of P.L.1979, c.441 (C. 30:4-123.58).

L.1979, c.441, s.23; amended 1995, c.280, s.46; 2009, c.330, s.7; 2019, c.363, s.16.