Section 1. The bill clarifies that parole officers' duties include helping offenders reintegrate into society.
 
Section 2. The bill creates a recidivism reduction grant program administered by the division of adult parole in the department of corrections (DOC). The program will provide grants to branch parole offices that partner with a local treatment provider or other service provider to implement evidence-based practices designed to reduce recidivism among parolees by 20% over the 2-year period of the grant. A multidisciplinary team selected and led by the director of the division of parole in the DOC shall review the applications and recommend award recipients to the executive director of the DOC (executive director). The executive director shall award the grants. Section 2 of the bill also requires the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety (DCJ) to prepare a status report on the grant program awards and a report that is a research-based process evaluation of the services and practices offered by grant recipients. The DCJ will annually submit the reports to the general assembly.
 
Section 3. The bill lowers the maximum amount of time that the state board of parole (parole board) may revoke parole for a parolee who has committed a technical parole violation. The bill creates a new option for the parole board at a revocation hearing for a parolee who commits a parole violation based on a substance abuse problem, mental illness, or both. If the parole board finds the parolee would be amenable to treatment, the parole board can continue the parole revocation hearing and modify the parolee's parole conditions to allow the parolee to be placed in a treatment program that suits the parolee's needs. If the parolee completes the treatment program, the parole board shall dismiss the parole revocation complaint. If the parolee is terminated from the treatment program, the parole board shall set a new revocation hearing. The bill creates a cash fund to support the treatment costs needed for the new parole revocation option and directs the general assembly to appropriate a portion of the cost savings generated by the bill to the cash fund.
 
Section 4. The bill requires the DCJ to analyze annually and report the fiscal savings generated by the bill.
 

Year

2010

Current status

  • 05/11/2010 Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments
  • 04/19/2010 House Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Appropriations
  • 04/23/2010 House Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
  • 04/26/2010 House Second Reading Laid Over Daily
  • 04/27/2010 House Second Reading Passed with Amendments
  • 04/28/2010 House Third Reading Passed
  • 04/29/2010 Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary + Appropriations
  • 05/05/2010 Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Appropriations
  • 05/07/2010 Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole
  • 03/10/2010 Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary + Appropriations
  • 05/12/2010 House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass
  • 05/12/2010 Senate Third Reading Passed
  • 05/25/2010 Governor Action - Signed

Sponsors

Rep. Pace; Sen. Steadman

Bill number

HB 1360