HB114 Summary

• Authorizes circuit court judges (with district attorney consent) and municipal court judges (with mayor consent) to contract with private business entities to provide probation services, supervision, and fee collection for misdemeanor and lower-level offenses, excluding felony supervision.

• Creates the County and Municipal Probation Advisory Council composed of district attorneys, judges, sheriffs, magistrates, and other officials to establish standards, adopt rules, conduct background checks, and make annual reports on private probation services.

• Establishes uniform professional standards for private probation officers including minimum age 21, no violent felony convictions, two-year college degree or equivalent law enforcement experience, 40 hours initial orientation and 20 hours annual continuing education.

• Prohibits private probation officers and business entities from engaging in conflicts of interest including lending money to probationers, owning bail bonding or drug/alcohol education services, or mandating specific rehabilitation programs; violation constitutes a Class C misdemeanor.

• Makes probation supervision records confidential and available only to courts, prosecutors, law enforcement, the council, and relevant government agencies without subpoena; requires quarterly reporting of offenders under supervision, collected fees, and warrant issuance.