H.F. No. 4310 - Summary

• Commissioner of Corrections shall award a grant to Ramsey County to develop a one-year pilot program diverting offenders who violate supervised release conditions or sentence stays from state prison.

• Ramsey County Community Corrections will identify eligible offenders and use community-based organizations to supervise them, or place them at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility (RCCF) if community options are exhausted and secure time is warranted.

• Offenders in the program serve the same duration at RCCF as they would at Department of Corrections institutions but receive increased services including mental health and chemical dependency treatment, cognitive skills therapy, electronic home monitoring, work release, and community job search.

• Participation is voluntary and both RCCF and community agencies may refuse offenders based on capacity and suitability; selected offenders must demonstrate readiness to change and commitment to follow release conditions.

• $500,000 in fiscal year 2019 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of corrections for the Ramsey County grant.