HB 18-1251 Summary

• State Board of Parole must submit names and register numbers of inmates recommended for community corrections to the Department of Corrections, and DOC staff must inform the Board when referrals are made or provide reasons for non-submission.

• Community corrections boards must develop and use structured, research-based decision-making processes combining professional judgment with actuarial risk assessment tools when accepting or rejecting offender placements.

• Department of Corrections must include comprehensive information in referral packets including risk assessments, institutional programming history, victim statements, mental health and substance abuse assessments, and case manager recommendations.

• Subsequent referrals for denied offenders must be made no sooner than six months and no later than twelve months after denial if the offender meets eligibility criteria (no Class I discipline violations in 12 months, no pending charges or detainers).

• Division of Criminal Justice must provide annual training to DOC staff and community corrections boards on structured decision-making and publish annual reports by February 1 describing referral trends, acceptance data, and implementation status; $264,070 appropriated for 2018-19 fiscal year.