The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard Committee heard HB 1004 on Department of Correction sponsored by Sen. Koch and Sen. Freeman. The author, Rep. Frye, introduced the bill, which:
- amends and updates certain terms and provisions involving direct placement in a community corrections program
- clarifies the definition of “community corrections program”
- removes the term “home detention” and replaces the term with “electronic monitoring” as it applies to direct placement in a community corrections program
- provides that if a court places a person in a community corrections program, the court may require direct placement supervision for any part of a sentence that must be executed under a suspended sentence
- provides that a person placed on a level of supervision as part of a community corrections program receives one day of accrued time for each day the person is in a residential center and work release, electronic monitoring, day treatment, or day reporting supervision, plus any earned good time credit
- provides that when a person completes a placement program, the court may place the person on probation
- provides that a court may commit a person convicted of a Level 6 felony to the Department of Correction. Current law provides that, under certain circumstances, a person convicted of a Level 6 felony may not be committed to DOC
The bill was amended by consent to:
- provide that a court may commit a person convicted of a Level 6 felony to the Department of Correction after June 30, 2022
- remove day treatment and day reporting from the definition of “community corrections program”
- clarify that those who are placed on home detention without electric monitoring may be placed directly into community corrections
- establish certain conditions of parole for a person on lifetime parole and makes the violation of parole conditions and commission of specified other acts by a person on lifetime parole a Level 6 felony, with an enhancement to a Level 5 felony for a second or subsequent offense.
The Indiana Department of Correction, Indiana Association of County Commissioners, Indiana Sheriffs’ Association, Probation Officers Association of Indiana, and the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council testified in support of the bill. The amended bill passed 7-1 and was recommitted to appropriations.
Read the bill at: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/house/1004