(a) As used in this part:
(1) “First term inmate” means a state inmate without a prior record of thirty (30) days or more detention upon conviction for a felonious crime at a federal, state or local penal facility in the United States; and
(2) “Second term inmate” means a state inmate with a prior record of thirty (30) days or more with one (1) previous conviction for a felonious crime at a federal, state or local penal facility in the United States.
(b) Previous confinements for misdemeanors shall have no bearing on inmates' qualifications as first term inmates and second term inmates for the purposes of this chapter.