Wyoming passes legislation to reduce recidivism and pay for treatment programs
Probation and parole violations will be dealt with through swift, certain, and proportional sanctions, and defendants can expect to receive additional substance abuse treatment and behavioral intervention to address criminal thinking.
The goal of these measures is to reduce the number of people whose probation is revoked while still holding them accountable and promoting positive behavioral changes.
wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2019/HB0053
An act relating to criminal procedure and sentencing; establishing an incentives and sanctions system for probation and parole supervision as specified; specifying authorized sanctions; providing a procedure for imposing sanctions; providing definitions; providing for the award of credit against original sentences for parolees; requiring the use of validated risk and need assessments; clarifying requirements for placement in an intensive supervision program; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; providing rulemaking; repealing obsolete provisions; providing an appropriation; requiring reports; and providing for effective dates.
wyoleg.gov/2019/Summaries/HB0053.pdf
This act establishes a comprehensive incentives-and-sanctions system for probationers, parolees and conditional releasees who are under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. The act:
o Requires a system that provides graduated responses to violations of supervision in a swift and certain manner;
o Requires the Department to provide training to probation and parole agents and the judicial branch and to review the system at least once every five (5) years to ensure that the system adheres to evidence-based practices;
o Provides non-custodial sanctions for violations, including loss of privileges, community service and placement in an intensive supervision program;
o Provides custodial sanctions for violations, including a “quick-dip” for two (2) or three (3) days in a county jail, confinement in jail for up to fifteen (15) days or confinement in a jail or state penal institution for up to ninety (90) days, coupled with substance-abuse treatment or cognitive-behavioral programming;
o Provides procedures for imposing sanctions and housing violators; o Requires a validated risk-need assessment as part of a presentence investigation and requires an offender to be assessed as a high-risk under the assessment before placement in an intensive supervision program.
The act repeals existing law that addresses sanctions for probation and parole violations.
The act applies to all persons sentenced on or after the effective date of the act.
wyoleg.gov/2019/Fiscal/HB0053.pdf