§ 42-56-1. Declaration of policy.
(a) The general assembly finds and declares that:
(1) The state has a basic obligation to protect the public by providing institutional
confinement and care of offenders and evidence-based probation and parole supervision
and, where appropriate, treatment in the community;
(2) Efforts to rehabilitate and restore criminal offenders as law-abiding and productive
members of society are essential to the reduction of crime;
(3) Maintaining the quality and effectiveness of correctional institutions and reh
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§ 42-56-1. Declaration of policy.
(a) The general assembly finds and declares that:
(1) The state has a basic obligation to protect the public by providing institutional
confinement and care of offenders and evidence-based probation and parole supervision
and, where appropriate, treatment in the community;
(2) Efforts to rehabilitate and restore criminal offenders as law-abiding and productive
members of society are essential to the reduction of crime;
(3) Maintaining the quality and effectiveness of correctional institutions and rehabilitative
services, both inside and outside correctional institutions, deserves priority consideration
as a means of lowering crime rates and of preventing offenders, particularly youths,
first-offenders, and misdemeanants, from becoming trapped in careers of crime; and
(4) Correctional institutions, supervision, and services should be so diversified in program
and personnel as to facilitate individualized treatment.
(b) The purpose of this chapter is to establish a department of state government to provide
for the supervision, custody, care, discipline, training, and treatment of persons
committed to state correctional institutions or on probation or parole, so that those
persons may be prepared for release, aftercare, and supervision in the community.