A national survey conducted in early 1993 found that only Kansas, Maine, and the District of Columbia did not have any mechanism for the release of terminally ill prisoners. These methods vary and include reduction of a sentence by a judge, parole, clemency or commutation of sentence, and administrative release. Connecticut law allows release of inmates by the Board of Parole if the inmate has a terminal condition and is physically incapable, because of his illness, of presenting a danger to society.
Federal prisoners can seek release in a number of ways.
A prisoner can petition the Bureau of Prisons to request that it file a motion in court to end his confinement. The U.S. President can also grant a reduction or commutation of sentence. We looked at a number of international treaties and could not find any reference to early release policies. The text of these and other treaties are available at the web site of the University of Minnesota Human Rights Library . A terminal condition includes, but is not limited to, any prognosis by a licensed physician that the inmate has six months or less to live.