2017 -- S 0006 SUBSTITUTE A

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE - CORRECTIONS - BATTERERS

INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND PROBATION SUPERVISION

     

     Introduced By: Senators McCaffrey, Goodwin, Nesselbush, Coyne, and Metts

     Date Introduced: January 11, 2017

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 12-29-5.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 12-29 entitled "Domestic

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Violence Prevention Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     12-29-5.2. Duties and responsibilities of committee.

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     (a) The committee shall have the duties and responsibilities to:

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     (1) Establish and promulgate minimum standards for batterers intervention programs

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serving persons mandated pursuant to § 12-29-5, revise the standards as is deemed necessary,

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ensure the standards comport with evidence-informed practices designed to reduce risk, and make

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the standards available to the public, provided that the standards shall include, but not be limited

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to, the following:

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     (i) Batterers intervention programs shall be conducted using evidence-informed

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programming and dosage levels designed to reduce the risk of future violent behavior in the

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context of psycho-educational groups, i.e., groups of domestic violence perpetrators led by one or

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more professional group leaders trained and experienced in batterers intervention programming

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and conducted for the purposes of learning and enacting non-abusive behaviors through didactic

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instruction, interaction among participants and leaders, and teaching of skills within the groups;

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     (ii) The duration of batterers intervention programs shall be a minimum of forty (40)

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contact hours over the course of twenty (20) weeks;

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     (iii) Batterers intervention programs shall require that all mandated batterers pay fees for

 

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the programs in accordance with the provisions of § 12-29-5; provided, that programs shall

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accommodate varying levels of ability to pay by means of sliding fee scales and may elect to

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offer alternatives to payment in the form of community restitution and/or deferred payment for a

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portion of the fees; and

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     (iv) Provisions shall be established defining the circumstances under which defendants

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who have attended a batterers program while incarcerated, and/or a batterers program in another

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jurisdiction which is certified under that jurisdiction's standards or not subject to standards in that

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jurisdiction, may request that their documented participation in such program be accepted in

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satisfaction of some portion of their obligation to attend forty (40) hours of a certified batterers

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intervention program as described in subdivision 12-29-5.2(a)(1)(ii).

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     (2) Monitor and review batterers intervention programs seeking certification with respect

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to compliance with the standards, including periodic on-site review;

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     (3) Certify those batterers intervention programs which are in compliance with the

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standards established pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection; and

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     (4) Investigate and decide appeals, complaints, requests for variances, and post-

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enrollment certification applications.

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     (b) For purposes of this chapter, "post-enrollment certification applications" means those

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applications made to the committee by a batterer mandated to attend a certified batterers

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intervention program in accordance with § 12-29-5 who has, prior to adjudication, enrolled in a

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program not certified by the committee. The application shall include supporting documentation

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from the batterers intervention program and a request that participation in the batterers

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intervention program be accepted in lieu of the equivalent number of hours of a certified batterers

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intervention program. The committee shall act upon a post-enrollment certification application

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within thirty (30) days of receipt of the application.

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     (c) The state public safety grant administration office may provide grants to provide for

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the access to, and expansion and improvement of, community-based batterers intervention

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programs. The batterers intervention standards oversight committee shall make recommendations

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to the public safety grant administration policy board regarding the distribution of funds in the

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form of grants to programs to cover the costs of delivering quality services to indigent offenders,

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and to assist community providers and their staffs to utilize outcome-based best practices and

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effective programming methods.

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     SECTION 2. Sections 42-56-1 and 42-56-7 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-56

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entitled "Corrections Department" are hereby amended to read as follows:

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     42-56-1. Declaration of policy.

 

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     (a) The legislature general assembly finds and declares that:

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     (1) The state has a basic obligation to protect the public by providing institutional

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confinement and care of offenders and, evidence-based probation and parole supervision and

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where appropriate, treatment in the community;

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     (2) Efforts to rehabilitate and restore criminal offenders as law-abiding and productive

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members of society are essential to the reduction of crime;

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     (3) Upgrading of Maintaining the quality and effectiveness of correctional institutions

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and rehabilitative services, both inside and outside correctional institutions, deserves priority

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consideration as a means of lowering crime rates and of preventing offenders, particularly youths,

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first-offenders, and misdemeanants, from becoming trapped in careers of crime; and

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     (4) Correctional institutions, supervision and services should be so diversified in program

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and personnel as to facilitate individualized treatment.

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     (b) The purpose of this chapter is to establish a department of state government to

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provide for the supervision, custody, care, discipline, training, and treatment, and study of

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persons committed to state correctional institutions or on probation or parole, so that those

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persons may be prepared for release, aftercare, and supervision in the community.

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     42-56-7. Parole and probation.

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     (a) Authority. The division of rehabilitative services, subject to the authority of the

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director, shall perform the functions relating to the parole and probation of adults as prescribed by

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this chapter and chapters 18 and 19 of title 12, and under those rules and regulations adopted by

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the director of corrections with the approval of the governor and the parole board in the executive

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department.

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     (b) Assessments. The division of rehabilitative services shall adopt risk and needs screens

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and assessments and behavioral health assessments that are validated at least once every five (5)

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years for the purpose of informing the following decisions:

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     (1) Probation supervision intensity, case management, and treatment objectives, adopted

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in collaboration with the superior courts;

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     (2) Correctional treatment and classification; and

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     (3) Parole supervision intensity, case management, and treatment objectives, adopted in

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collaboration with the parole board, and parole release decisions, adopted in collaboration with,

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and for implementation by, the parole board.

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     (c) Special conditions. The assessment implemented under subsection (b)(1) of this

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section should be performed prior to placement on probation, whenever possible, to support

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judicial decisions affecting conditions of supervision under §12-19-8.1.

 

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     (d) Supervision. The division of rehabilitative services shall:

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     (1) Provide limited supervision for probationers who qualify based on offense level, time

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under supervision without a violation, and the results from a validated risk and needs assessment;

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     (2) Provide high-intensity supervision and treatment for probationers who, based on

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screening and assessments, are high risk to re-offend and present high needs for behavioral health

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services;

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     (3) Collaborate with the executive office of health and human services to implement

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Medicaid payment incentives designed to ensure timely access to quality behavioral health

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treatment and cognitive-behavioral programs for probationers; and

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     (4) Require that program providers serving probationers pursuant to a contract with the

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department use cognitive-behavioral programs to reduce criminal thinking.

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     (e) Behavioral change guidelines. The division of rehabilitative services shall adopt

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guidelines for probation and parole officers, governing:

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     (1) Incentives for compliance and risk-reducing behavior;

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     (2) Swift, certain and proportionate non-confinement sanctions in response to

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corresponding violations of probation conditions; and

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     (3) The use of confinement as a sanction after the consideration of all other appropriate

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non-confinement sanctions in response to corresponding violations of probation conditions.

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     (f) Training. The division of rehabilitative services shall organize and conduct evidence-

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based training programs for probation and parole officers. The training shall include:

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     (1) Scoring and use of validated risk and needs assessments under subsection (b) of this

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section;

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     (2) Risk-based supervision strategies;

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     (3) Cognitive behavioral interventions;

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     (4) Targeting criminal risk factors to reduce recidivism;

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     (5) Use of incentives for compliance and risk-reducing behavior;

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     (6) Use of and swift, certain and proportionate sanctions in response to corresponding

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violations of probation conditions pursuant to subsection (d)(2) of this section;

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     (7) Recognizing symptoms of substance use and mental health needs and making

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treatment referrals; and

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     (8) De-escalating erratic criminal behavior.

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     (g) All probation and parole officers employed on or after the effective date of this act

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shall complete the training requirements set forth in this section. Selected probation and parole

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officers shall become trainers to ensure sustainability of these training requirements.

 

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     (h) Information. The division of rehabilitative services shall develop or adopt an

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automated case management and reporting system for probation and parole officers.

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     (i) Implementation. Deadlines for implementation of this section by the department of

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corrections shall be as follows: subsection (b) (initial assessment validation), subsection (c)

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(special condition recommendations), subsection (d) (supervision intensity), and subsection (f)

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(for training of existing probation and parole officers), one year from the effective date of this

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section; subsection (e) (behavior change guidelines), six (6) months from the effective date of this

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section; subsections (f) and (g) (for training of new probation and parole officers) and subsection

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(h) (case management system), two (2) years from the effective date of this section.

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     SECTION 3. Chapter 42-18 of the General Laws entitled "Department of Health," is

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hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

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     42-18-8. Cooperation with the department of corrections.

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     The director of the department of health shall coordinate and cooperate with the director

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of the department of corrections to ensure collaboration around existing department of health

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programs and initiatives, with regard to people under the care of the department of corrections, on

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probation, during incarceration, and upon release to the community.

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     SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE - CORRECTIONS - BATTERERS

INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND PROBATION SUPERVISION

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     This act would create a batterers intervention program fund. The act would also adopt

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evidence-based probation and parole supervision systems.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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