(1) If an officer of the department has reason to believe a parolee has violated any of the conditions of the parolee's release, the department must conduct an on-site hearing unless the parolee waives the right to an on-site hearing or pursuant to (3), no on-site hearing is necessary.

(2) In order to waive the right to an on-site hearing the parolee must sign a waiver that clearly specifies the rights the parolee is relinquishing and admit to at least one of the violations as outlined in the report of violation.

(3) No on-site hearing is necessary if the parolee is convicted of a felony offense during the period of supervision, or if the parolee is arrested in a state in which the parolee had no permission to travel or reside. If no on-site hearing is necessary the board may utilize the court judgment and conviction or out-of-state arrest documents in lieu of the on-site hearing summary.

(4) Unless the parolee waives the revocation hearing, the board will schedule a revocation hearing within 90 days of receipt of the on-site hearing summary or of receipt of notice of conviction or return to Montana custody. If the parolee waives the revocation hearing the parolee must sign a waiver that clearly specifies the rights the parolee is relinquishing. Once the hearing is scheduled, the parolee may request a continuance and board staff may grant the continuance if the parolee can show good and substantial cause for the continuance.

(5) At the revocation hearing the parolee may be represented by counsel at the parolee's expense, and may present witness testimony if the testimony relates to the violations. An indigent parolee may request appointed counsel if difficult or complex issues are present and if the parolee is unable to articulate the issues. A decision on the request for appointed counsel will be rendered by a board hearing panel after due consideration of the request.

(6) A parolee who contests parole revocation or the parolee's counsel shall, at least 20 days before the revocation hearing, present to the board staff:

(a) any requests for information from the parolee's file that the parolee needs for the hearing;

(b) a list of witnesses and exhibits the parolee intends to present at the revocation hearing;

(c) a list of information the parolee will present at the hearing; and

(d) any requests for subpoenas the parolee wants the board to issue. The board will only issue subpoenas for extraordinary reasons and in cases where the board considers a person's testimony is crucial to a determination of the issue of revocation.

(7) The presiding hearing panel member will conduct the revocation hearing and will record the hearing. The decision of the board in a revocation hearing is by a preponderance of the evidence. The board may consider:

(a) reports of the supervising officer;

(b) the report of the on-site hearing, if one was conducted; and

(c) the information and evidence presented at the hearing.

(8) If the board decides the parolee has violated parole, the hearing panel may, considering the nature of the violations and the criteria for release grant decision, take any of the following actions: 

(a) continue the parolee on parole with release to the community;

(b) continue the parolee on parole, but authorize the parolee's detention in custody until the parolee satisfies conditions imposed by the board;

(c) revoke the parole and set no re-parole date;

(d) revoke the parole, but order the offender's re-parole on a date certain;

(e) revoke the parole and set a date within one year when a board hearing panel will conduct an administrative review of the offender's case; or

(f) make any other appropriate order.

(9) The board staff will deliver a copy of the board's written decision to the offender within 21 days of the decision. The written decision will include reasons for the decision and disposition, and a summary of the evidence upon which the board relied.

(10) If a revoked parolee has absconded supervision, a board hearing panel, at its sole discretion, will determine whether the time from the issuing of the violation warrant to the date of the parolee's arrest within the state or return to Montana custody if the parolee was arrested out of state, or any part of that time, will be counted as time served under the sentence, or whether the time was dead time and did not diminish the time the offender had to serve to discharge the sentence.

(11) A parole violation warrant will remain active until the parolee is in Montana custody and may not be quashed without the approval of a board hearing panel. If the parolee's sentence expiration date is reached, a hearing panel will review the case to determine if keeping the warrant active is in the interests of justice. If the panel decides to keep the warrant active after the parole discharge date, not including dead time, a panel will review the parolee's status annually.