AB216: Bill Text

LRB-1598/1

PJH:jld:rs

2007 - 2008 LEGISLATURE

2007 Assembly BILL 216

March 27, 2007 - Introduced by Representatives J. Fitzgerald, Bies, Molepske, Montgomery, Hahn, Mursau, Jeskewitz, F. Lasee, Musser, Townsend, Lothian, Petrowski, Albers and A. Ott, cosponsored by Senators S. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Darling and Schultz, by request of Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls. Referred to Committee on Corrections and Courts.

AB216,1,2 An Act to amend 973.03 (3) (a); and to create 973.03 (3) (am) of the statutes; relating to: community service work option for certain defendants.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, a person who is imprisoned in county jail may be allowed to earn "good time" against his or her sentence by performing community service work for an approved nonprofit charitable organization or public agency. A person performing this community service work earns one day of "good time" for every three eight-hour days that he or she works.

Under this bill, if a court allows a person who is sentenced to probation or imprisonment in a Huber facility to perform community service work or if a court orders a person to perform community service work because the person is unable to pay a fine, forfeiture, or court assessment, a county may establish a community service work program that allows the person to earn one day of "good time" for every one, two, or three eight-hour day that he or she works.

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:

AB216, s. 1 Section 1. 973.03 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB216,2,6 973.03 (3) (a) If a court sentences a defendant to imprisonment in the county jail, the court may provide that the defendant perform community service work under pars. (b) and (c). The Except as provided in par. (am), the defendant earns good time at a rate of one day for each 3 days of work performed. A day of work equals 8 hours of work performed. This good time is in addition to good time authorized under s. 302.43.

AB216, s. 2 Section 2. 973.03 (3) (am) of the statutes is created to read:

AB216,2,17 973.03 (3) (am) If a court provides that a defendant may perform community service work pursuant to par. (a) and the defendant is sentenced to probation or imprisonment in a Huber facility under s. 303.09, or if a defendant has been ordered to perform community service work under s. 800.09, a county may, with the approval of the chief judge in the county, allow the defendant to perform community service work under pars. (b) and (c). The county may determine the rate at which all defendants in the county earn good time, except that a defendant may not earn less than one day of good time for every 3 days of work performed, nor more than one day of good time for each day of work performed. A day of work equals 8 hours of work performed. This good time is in addition to good time authorized under s. 302.43.

AB216,2,18 (End)