§ 42-56-7. Parole and probation.
(a) Authority. The division of rehabilitative services, subject to the authority of the director,
shall perform the functions relating to the parole and probation of adults as prescribed
by this chapter and chapters 18 and 19 of title 12, and under those rules and regulations
adopted by the director of corrections with the approval of the governor and the parole
board in the executive department.
(b) Assessments. The division of rehabilitative services shall adopt risk and needs screens and assessments
and behavioral health assessments that are validated at least once every five (5)
years for the purpose of informing the following decisions:
(1) Probation supervision intensity, case management, and treatment objectives, adopted
in collaboration with the superior courts;
(2) Correctional treatment and classification; and
(3) Parole supervision intensity, case management, and treatment objectives, adopted in
collaboration with the parole board, and parole release decisions, adopted in collaboration
with, and for implementation by, the parole board.
(c) Special conditions. The assessment implemented under subsection (b)(1) of this section should be performed
prior to placement on probation, whenever possible, to support judicial decisions
affecting conditions of supervision under § 12-19-8.1.
(d) Supervision. The division of rehabilitative services shall:
(1) Provide limited supervision for probationers who qualify based on offense level, time
under supervision without a violation, and the results from a validated risk and needs
assessment;
(2) Provide high-intensity supervision and treatment for probationers who, based on screening
and assessments, are high risk to re-offend and present high needs for behavioral
health services;
(3) Collaborate with the executive office of health and human services to implement Medicaid
payment incentives designed to ensure timely access to quality behavioral health treatment
and cognitive-behavioral programs for probationers; and
(4) Require that program providers serving probationers pursuant to a contract with the
department use cognitive-behavioral programs to reduce criminal thinking.
(e) Behavioral change guidelines. The division of rehabilitative services shall adopt guidelines for probation and parole
officers, governing:
(1) Incentives for compliance and risk-reducing behavior;
(2) Swift, certain, and proportionate non-confinement sanctions in response to corresponding
violations of probation conditions; and
(3) The use of confinement as a sanction after the consideration of all other appropriate
non-confinement sanctions in response to corresponding violations of probation conditions.
(f) Training. The division of rehabilitative services shall organize and conduct evidence-based
training programs for probation and parole officers. The training shall include:
(1) Scoring and use of validated risk and needs assessments under subsection (b) of this
section;
(2) Risk-based supervision strategies;
(3) Cognitive behavioral interventions;
(4) Targeting criminal risk factors to reduce recidivism;
(5) Use of incentives for compliance and risk-reducing behavior;
(6) Use of swift, certain, and proportionate sanctions in response to corresponding violations
of probation conditions pursuant to subsection (e)(2) of this section;
(7) Recognizing symptoms of substance use and mental health needs and making treatment
referrals; and
(8) De-escalating erratic criminal behavior.
(g) All probation and parole officers employed on or after the effective date of this
act shall complete the training requirements set forth in this section. Selected probation
and parole officers shall become trainers to ensure sustainability of these training
requirements.
(h) Information. The division of rehabilitative services shall develop or adopt an automated case management
and reporting system for probation and parole officers.
(i) Implementation. Deadlines for implementation of this section by the department of corrections shall
be as follows: subsection (b) (initial assessment validation), subsection (c) (special
condition recommendations), subsection (d) (supervision intensity), and subsection
(f) (for training of existing probation and parole officers), one year from the effective
date of this section [September 28, 2017]; subsection (e) (behavior change guidelines),
six (6) months from the effective date of this section; subsections (f) and (g) (for
training of new probation and parole officers) and subsection (h) (case management
system), two (2) years from the effective date of this section.