SB801: Bill Text

LRB-4709/1

PJH:cjs

2015 - 2016 LEGISLATURE

2015 Senate BILL 801

April 7, 2016 - Introduced by Senator L. Taylor. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.

SB801,1,2 An Act to amend 20.410 (1) (a); and to create 301.069 of the statutes; relating to: grants to reduce recidivism and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires the Department of Corrections to provide grants, in the total amount of $20,000,000 each fiscal biennium, to local units of government and nonprofit organizations that have established programs that reduce criminal recidivism.

Under the bill, in order to qualify for a grant, a local unit of government or a nonprofit organization must have a program that serves at least 50 persons who are released from confinement to parole or extended supervision, must have a lower recidivism rate among participants in its program than the state recidivism rate, and must be able to demonstrate that the cost of expanding the program would be less than the savings to the state achieved from the reduction in recidivism.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB801,1 Section 1. 20.410 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB801,2,3 20.410 (1) (a) General program operations. The amounts in the schedule to operate institutions, provide grants under s. 301.069, and provide field services and administrative services. No payments may be made under this paragraph for payments in accordance with other states party to the interstate corrections compact under s. 302.25.

SB801,2 Section 2. 301.069 of the statutes is created to read:

SB801,2,9 301.069 Recidivism reduction programs; grants. (1) From the appropriation under s. 20.410 (1) (a), the department shall provide grants to local units of government, as defined in s. 45.72 (1), and to nonprofit organizations that provide services to offenders who are released from confinement to parole or extended supervision.

SB801,2,12 (2) A local unit of government or nonprofit organization may be eligible for a grant under sub. (1) if it has established a program that meets all of the following criteria:

SB801,2,14 (a) The program provides services to not less than 50 persons each year who are released from confinement to parole or extended supervision.

SB801,2,17 (b) The program's participants have a lower recidivism rate than the statewide recidivism rate for offenders who are released from confinement to parole or extended supervision.

SB801,2,20 (c) By virtue of the reduced recidivism rate among the program's participants, the cost of the requested grant is less than the amount that the state will save in prosecution and incarceration costs.

SB801,2,22 (3) The department shall make grants under this section in the total amount of $20,000,000 each fiscal biennium.

SB801,2,23 (End)