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7 Cosponsors:
8 Cheryl K. Acton
Travis M. Seegmiller
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10 LONG TITLE
11 General Description:
12 This bill establishes an employment incentive program for adult probation and parole.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This bill:
15 ▸ defines terms;
16 ▸ creates the Adult Probation and Parole Employment Incentive Program, to be
17 administered by the Department of Corrections and the Governor's Office of
18 Planning and Budget;
19 ▸ requires the department to track and report certain statistics and other information
20 relating to adult probation and parole;
21 ▸ creates a restricted account to hold money to be used for the employment incentive
22 program;
23 ▸ describes the criteria and calculations upon which employment incentives payments
24 are made to the department and to adult probation and parole regions; and
25 ▸ provides for disbursement of employment incentive payments and describes the
26 purposes for which the payments may be expended.
27 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
28 None
29 Other Special Clauses:
30 None
31 Utah Code Sections Affected:
32 ENACTS:
33 64-13g-101, Utah Code Annotated 1953
34 64-13g-102, Utah Code Annotated 1953
35 64-13g-103, Utah Code Annotated 1953
36
37 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
38 Section 1. Section 64-13g-101 is enacted to read:
39
40
41 64-13g-101. Definitions.
42 As used in this chapter:
43 (1) "Average daily population" means the average daily number of individuals on
44 parole or felony probation in the region during the applicable fiscal year.
45 (2) "Baseline parole employment rate" means the average of the parole employment
46 rates for fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.
47 (3) "Baseline probation employment rate" means the average of the probation
48 employment rates for fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.
49 (4) "Department" means the Department of Corrections.
50 (5) "Eligible employment" means an occupation, or combined occupations, that:
51 (a) consist of at least 130 hours in a 30-day period; and
52 (b) are verified via paystubs, employment letters, contracts, or other reliable methods,
53 as determined by the department.
54 (6) "Evidence-based" means a supervision policy, procedure, program, or practice
55 demonstrated by scientific research to reduce recidivism of individuals on parole or felony
56 probation.
57 (7) "Marginal cost of incarceration" means the total costs of incarceration, per inmate,
58 that fluctuate based on inmate population.
59 (8) "Office" means the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.
60 (9) "Parole employment rate" means the percentage of individuals on parole who held
61 eligible employment for at least nine months in a one-year period, if at least a portion of the
62 nine-months was during the preceding fiscal year.
63 (10) "Probation employment rate" means the percentage of individuals on felony
64 probation who held eligible employment for at least nine months in a one-year period, if at
65 least a portion of the nine-months was during the preceding fiscal year.
66 (11) "Program" means the Adult Probation and Parole Employment Incentive Program,
67 created in Section 64-13g-102.
68 (12) "Region" means one of the geographic regions into which the Department of
69 Corrections has divided the state for purposes of supervising adult probation and parole.
70 (13) "Restricted account" means the Employment Incentive Restricted Account created
71 in Section 64-13g-103.
72 Section 2. Section 64-13g-102 is enacted to read:
73 64-13g-102. Adult Probation and Parole Employment Incentive Program.
74 (1) There is created the Adult Probation and Parole Employment Incentive Program.
75 (2) The department and the office shall implement the program in accordance with the
76 requirements of this chapter.
77 (3) Beginning July 2026, and each July after 2026, the department shall calculate and
78 report to the office, for the preceding fiscal year, for each region and statewide:
79 (a) the parole employment rate and the average length of employment of individuals on
80 parole;
81 (b) the probation employment rate and average length of employment of individuals on
82 felony probation;
83 (c) the percentage of individuals on parole or felony probation who are convicted of a
84 crime committed on or after the day on which the individuals began parole or felony probation;
85 (d) the number and percentage of individuals who successfully complete parole or
86 felony probation;
87 (e) if the recidivism percentage described in Subsection (3)(c) represents a decrease in
88 the recidivism percentage when compared to the fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal
89 year to which the recidivism percentage described in Subsection (3)(c) relates, the estimated
90 costs of incarceration savings to the state, based on the marginal cost of incarceration;
91 (f) the number of individuals who successfully complete parole and, during the entire
92 six months before the day on which the individuals' parole ends, held eligible employment; and
93 (g) the number of individuals who successfully complete felony probation and, during
94 the entire six months before the day on which the individuals' parole ended, held eligible
95 employment.
96 (4) In addition to the information described in Subsection (3), the department shall
97 report, for each region, the number and types of parole or probation programs that were
98 created, replaced, or discontinued during the preceding fiscal year.
99 (5) After receiving the information described in Subsections (3) and (4), the office, in
100 consultation with the department, shall, for each region:
101 (a) add the region's baseline parole employment rate and the region's baseline probation
102 employment rate;
103 (b) add the region's parole employment rate and the region's probation employment
104 rate;
105 (c) subtract the sum described in Subsection (5)(a) from the sum described in
106 Subsection (5)(b); and
107 (d) (i) if the rate difference described in Subsection (5)(c) is zero or less than zero,
108 assign an employment incentive payment of zero to the region; or
109 (ii) except as provided in Subsection (7), if the rate difference described in Subsection
110 (5)(c) is greater than zero, assign an employment incentive payment to the region by:
111 (A) multiplying the rate difference by the average daily population for that region; and
112 (B) multiplying the product of the calculation described in Subsection (5)(d)(ii)(A) by
113 $2,500.
114 (6) In addition to the employment incentive payment described in Subsection (5), after
115 receiving the information described in Subsections (3) and (4), the office, in consultation with
116 the department, shall, for each region, multiply the sum of the numbers described in
117 Subsections (3)(f) and (g) for the region by $2,500 to determine the end-of-supervision
118 employment incentive payment for the region.
119 (7) The employment incentive payment, or end-of-supervision employment supervision
120 payment, for a region is zero if the recidivism percentage for the region, described in
121 Subsection (3)(c), represents an increase in the recidivism percentage when compared to the
122 fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal year to which the recidivism percentage for the
123 region, described in Subsection (3)(c), relates.
124 (8) Upon determining an employment incentive payment for a region in accordance
125 with Subsections (5)(d)(ii), (6), and (7), the office shall authorize distribution, from the
126 restricted account, of the incentive payment as follows:
127 (a) 15% of the payment may be used by the department for expenses related to
128 administering the program; and
129 (b) 85% of the payment shall be used by the region to improve and expand supervision
130 and rehabilitative services to individuals on parole or adult probation, including by:
131 (i) implementing and expanding evidence-based practices for risk and needs
132 assessments for individuals;
133 (ii) implementing and expanding intermediate sanctions, including mandatory
134 community service, home detention, day reporting, restorative justice programs, and furlough
135 programs;
136 (iii) expanding the availability of evidence-based practices for rehabilitation programs,
137 including drug and alcohol treatment, mental health treatment, anger management, cognitive
138 behavior programs, and job training and other employment services;
139 (iv) hiring additional officers, contractors, or other personnel to implement
140 evidence-based practices for rehabilitative and vocational programing;
141 (v) purchasing and adopting new technologies or equipment that are relevant to, and
142 enhance, supervision, rehabilitation, or vocational training; or
143 (vi) evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation and supervision programs and
144 ensuring program fidelity.
145 (9) (a) The report described in Subsections (3) and (4) is a public record.
146 (b) The department shall maintain a complete and accurate accounting of the payment
147 and use of funds under this section.
148 (c) If the money in the restricted account is insufficient to make the full employment
149 incentive payments or the full end-of-supervision employment incentive payments, the office
150 shall authorize the payments on a prorated basis.
151 Section 3. Section 64-13g-103 is enacted to read:
152 64-13g-103. Employment Incentive Restricted Account.
153 (1) There is created within the General Fund a restricted account known as the
154 "Employment Incentive Restricted Account."
155 (2) The account consists of appropriations made by the Legislature.
156 (3) The office shall authorize expenditures from the account in accordance with
157 Section 64-13g-102.
158 (4) Subject to legislative appropriations, the department and each region shall expend
159 money from the restricted account only in accordance with Subsection 64-13g-102(8).