An inmate sentenced to life in prison cannot be paroled or released on diminution of sentence unless the life sentence is first commuted. A court cannot make an inmate ineligible for consideration by the Board of Pardons. Commutation is the only non-judicial means by which a life sentence can be changed to a specified number of years, thereby creating the possibility of the inmate's eventual release from prison by virtue of parole or diminution of sentence. An inmate cannot be recommended for commutation of sentence until the board announces and holds a hearing. The attempt to commit one of these crimes also is a crime of violence.
Law allows a court to designate other crimes of violence.