AB86: Bill Text

The Act renamed the parole commission the earned release review commission (ERRC) and allows most persons who are incarcerated for a Class C to Class I felony to earn "positive adjustment time" toward early release from confinement. Under the Act, the amount of positive adjustment time a person can earn varies depending on the classification of the felony, the person's history and likelihood of reoffending, and other factors determined by DOC.

The Act allows DOC to release the person to extended supervision when he or she serves his entire period of confinement, minus positive adjustment time earned, subject to court review. Under the Act, if a person's period of confinement is reduced by positive adjustment time, his or her period of extended supervision is increased so that the length of the sentence does not change. The Act requires the ERRC to perform the duties previously performed by the parole commission and to review petitions for early release from confinement.

Under the Act, the sentencing court could, at the time of sentencing, order a person to serve a risk reduction sentence. A person serving a risk reduction sentence could be eligible for early release to extended supervision if he or she complies with a treatment plan developed for the person by DOC.

Pre-Act, persons who had committed most felonies were allowed to petition the sentencing court for release to extended supervision for the remaining term of his or her sentence if the person had a terminal condition, reached age 65 after serving at least five years of his or her term of confinement portion, or reached age 60 after serving at least ten years of his or her term of confinement portion.

Under the Act, the petition may also be filed by a person with any serious health condition and must be submitted to the ERRC instead of to the sentencing court. In addition, under the Act, DOC may release to extended supervision any person serving the confinement portion of a bifurcated sentence if the person is not confined following a violent offense, the person is believed to be able to live in the community without assaulting another, and the release will not be more than 12 months before the date that the person otherwise would be eligible for release to extended supervision. If DOC releases a person, his or her term of extended supervision must be extended by the length of time he or she was originally sentenced to confinement so that the total length of the sentence does not change.

Pre-Act, if a person sentenced to a bifurcated sentence violated any condition of his or her release to extended supervision, the person's extended supervision was revoked, he or she was returned to prison, and the division of hearings and appeals within DOA or DOC (reviewing authority) made a recommendation to the court that convicted the person as to how long the person should remain in prison. After it received the reviewing authority's recommendation, the court was allowed to order the person to remain in prison for a period that did not exceed the time remaining on his or her bifurcated sentence.

Under the Act, the reviewing authority determines how long to imprison the person whose extended supervision is revoked and enters its own order for the person to remain in prison for a period that does not exceed the time remaining on his or her bifurcated sentence.

This bill eliminates positive adjustment time and risk reduction sentences, restores the parole commission, eliminates the ERRC, and returns the sentencing provisions, and most of the provisions relating to early release from confinement to pre-Act law. Under the bill, a person may petition the sentencing court for release to extended supervision for the remaining term of his or her sentence if the person has an extraordinary health condition, reaches age 65 after serving at least five years of his or her term of confinement portion, or reaches age 60 after serving at least ten years of his or her term of confinement portion.

Under the bill, a person who was sentenced after October 1, 2009, but before the effective date of the bill, and who earned positive adjustment time during that period may petition the sentencing court for an early release to extended supervision. If the sentencing court agrees to reduce the confinement portion of the person's sentence by the number of positive adjustment time days he or she earned, the sentencing court must increase the term of extended supervision by the same number of days. Under the bill, a person who was sentenced to a risk reduction sentence after October 1, 2009, but before the effective date of the bill and who complied with the program plan developed by DOC may be released to extended supervision after he or she serves at least 75 percent of the confinement portion of his or her sentence.

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:

AB86, s. 1 Section 1. 15.01 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,4,10 15.01 (2) "Commission" means a 3-member governing body in charge of a department or independent agency or of a division or other subunit within a department, except for the Wisconsin waterways commission which shall consist of 5 members and the earned release review parole commission which shall consist of 8 members. A Wisconsin group created for participation in a continuing interstate body, or the interstate body itself, shall be known as a "commission", but is not a commission for purposes of s. 15.06. The earned release review parole commission created under s. 15.145 (1) shall be known as a "commission", but is not a commission for purposes of s. 15.06.

AB86, s. 2 Section 2. 15.06 (6) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,5,2 15.06 (6) Quorum. A majority of the membership of a commission constitutes a quorum to do business, except that vacancies shall not prevent a commission from doing business. This subsection does not apply to the earned release review parole commission.

AB86, s. 3 Section 3. 15.145 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,5,10 15.145 (1) Earned release review Parole commission. There is created in the department of corrections an earned release review a parole commission consisting of 8 members. Members shall have knowledge of or experience in corrections or criminal justice. The members shall include a chairperson who is nominated by the governor, and with the advice and consent of the senate appointed, for a 2-year term expiring March 1 of the odd-numbered years, subject to removal under s. 17.07 (3m), and the remaining members in the classified service appointed by the chairperson.

AB86, s. 4 Section 4. 17.07 (3m) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,5,13 17.07 (3m) Notwithstanding sub. (3), the earned release review parole commission chairperson may be removed by the governor, at pleasure.

AB86, s. 5 Section 5. 20.410 (2) (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,5,15 20.410 (2) (title) Earned release review Parole commission.

AB86, s. 6 Section 6. 20.410 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,5,18 20.410 (2) (a) General program operations. The amounts in the schedule for the general program operations of the earned release review parole commission.

AB86, s. 7 Section 7. 20.923 (4) (b) 6. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,5,20 20.923 (4) (b) 6. Earned release review Parole commission: chairperson.

AB86, s. 8 Section 8. 230.08 (2) (pd) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,5,23 230.08 (2) (pd) The chairperson of the earned release review parole commission.

AB86, s. 9 Section 9. 301.03 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,6,14 301.03 (3) Administer parole, extended supervision, and probation matters, except that the decision to grant or deny parole or to grant extended supervision under s. 304.06 (1) to inmates shall be made by the earned release review parole commission and the decision to revoke probation, extended supervision , or parole in cases in which there is no waiver of the right to a hearing shall be made by the division of hearings and appeals in the department of administration. The secretary may grant special action parole releases under s. 304.02. The department may discharge inmates from extended supervision under s. 973.01 (4m) and may modify a bifurcated sentence under s. 302.113 (9h), and the earned release review commission may modify a sentence under s. 302.1135. The department shall promulgate rules establishing a drug testing program for probationers, parolees and persons placed on extended supervision. The rules shall provide for assessment of fees upon probationers, parolees and persons placed on extended supervision to partially offset the costs of the program.

AB86, s. 10 Section 10. 301.048 (2) (am) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,6,18 301.048 (2) (am) 3. The earned release review parole commission grants him or her parole under s. 304.06 and requires his or her participation in the program as a condition of parole under s. 304.06 (1x).

AB86, s. 11 Section 11. 301.21 (1m) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,6,23 301.21 (1m) (c) Any hearing to consider parole or whether to grant extended supervision, if the inmate is sentenced under s. 973.01 to which an inmate confined under this contract may be entitled by the laws of Wisconsin will be conducted by the Wisconsin earned release review parole commission under rules of the department.

AB86, s. 12 Section 12. 301.21 (2m) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,7,5 301.21 (2m) (c) Any hearing to consider parole or whether to grant extended supervision, if the prisoner is sentenced under s. 973.01 to which a prisoner confined under a contract under this subsection may be entitled by the laws of Wisconsin shall be conducted by the Wisconsin earned release review parole commission under rules of the department.

AB86, s. 13 Section 13. 302.042 of the statutes is repealed.

AB86, s. 14 Section 14. 302.043 of the statutes is created to read:

AB86,7,17 302.043 Release to extended supervision; risk reduction program. The department shall release an inmate who is serving a risk reduction sentence imposed under s. 973.031, 2009 stats., to extended supervision when he or she serves not less than 75 percent of the term of confinement portion of his or her sentence imposed under s. 973.01 and the department determines that he or she has completed the programming or treatment under the plan designed by the department for the inmate and that the inmate maintained a good conduct record during his or her term of confinement. Not less than 30 days prior to release under this section, the department shall notify the sentencing court that the inmate has thus far successfully completed the requirements of his or her risk reduction sentence.

AB86, s. 15 Section 15. 302.045 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,8,9 302.045 (1) Program. The department shall provide a challenge incarceration program for inmates selected to participate under sub. (2). The program shall provide participants with manual labor, personal development counseling, substance abuse treatment and education, military drill and ceremony, counseling, and strenuous physical exercise, for participants who have not attained the age of 30 as of the date on which they begin participating in the program, or age-appropriate strenuous physical exercise, for all other participants, in preparation for release on parole or extended supervision. The program shall provide, according to each participant's needs as assessed under sub. (2) (d), substance abuse treatment and education, including intensive intervention when indicated, personal development counseling, education, employment readiness training, and other treatment options that are directly related to the participant's criminal behavior. The department shall design the program to include not less fewer than 50 participants at a time and so that a participant may complete the program in not more than 180 days. The department may restrict participant privileges as necessary to maintain discipline.

AB86, s. 16 Section 16. 302.045 (2) (d) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

AB86,8,12 302.045 (2) (d) The department determines, during assessment and evaluation, that the inmate has a substance abuse problem.

AB86, s. 17 Section 17. 302.045 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,8,21 302.045 (3) Parole eligibility. Except as provided in sub. (4), if the department determines that an inmate serving a sentence other than one imposed under s. 973.01 has successfully completed the challenge incarceration program, the earned release review parole commission shall parole the inmate for that sentence under s. 304.06, regardless of the time the inmate has served. When the earned release review parole commission grants parole under this subsection, it must require the parolee to participate in an intensive supervision program appropriate to the parolee's rehabilitation needs for drug abusers as a condition of parole.

AB86, s. 18 Section 18. 302.045 (3m) (d) of the statutes is repealed.

AB86, s. 19 Section 19. 302.05 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,8,24 302.05 (title) Wisconsin earned release substance abuse program.

AB86, s. 20 Section 20. 302.05 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 302.05 (1) (am) (intro.) and amended to read:

AB86,9,12 302.05 (1) (am) (intro.) The department of corrections shall, at any correctional facility the department determines is appropriate, provide a rehabilitation program for inmates for the purposes of the earned release program described in sub. (3). and the department of health services may designate a section of a mental health institute as a correctional treatment facility for the treatment of substance abuse of inmates transferred from Wisconsin state prisons. This section shall be administered by the department of corrections and shall be known as the Wisconsin substance abuse program. The department of corrections and the department of health services shall ensure that the residents at the institution and the residents in the substance abuse program:

AB86, s. 21 Section 21. 302.05 (1) (am) 1. of the statutes is created to read:

AB86,9,16 302.05 (1) (am) 1. Have access to all facilities that are available at the institution and are necessary for the treatment programs designed by the departments.

AB86, s. 22 Section 22. 302.05 (1) (am) 2. of the statutes is created to read:

AB86,9,18 302.05 (1) (am) 2. Are housed on separate wards.

AB86, s. 23 Section 23. 302.05 (1) (b) of the statutes is created to read:

AB86,9,23 302.05 (1) (b) The department of corrections and the department of health services shall, at any correctional facility the departments determine is appropriate, provide a substance abuse treatment program for inmates for the purposes of the earned release program described in sub. (3).

AB86, s. 24 Section 24. 302.05 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,10,3 302.05 (2) Transfer to a correctional treatment facility for participation in a program described in sub. (1) the treatment of substance abuse shall be considered a transfer under s. 302.18.

AB86, s. 25 Section 25. 302.05 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,10,12 302.05 (3) (b) Except as provided in par. (d), if the department determines that an eligible inmate serving a sentence other than one imposed under s. 973.01 has successfully completed a rehabilitation treatment program described in sub. (1), the earned release review parole commission shall parole the inmate for that sentence under s. 304.06, regardless of the time the inmate has served. If the earned release review parole commission grants parole under this paragraph, it shall require the parolee to participate in an intensive supervision program appropriate to the parolee's rehabilitation needs for drug abusers as a condition of parole.

AB86, s. 26 Section 26. 302.05 (3) (c) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,10,18 302.05 (3) (c) 1. Except as provided in par. (d), if the department determines that an eligible inmate serving the term of confinement in prison portion of a bifurcated sentence imposed under s. 973.01 has successfully completed a rehabilitation treatment program described in sub. (1), the department shall inform the court that sentenced the inmate.

AB86, s. 27 Section 27. 302.05 (3) (c) 2. (intro.) of the statutes, is amended to read:

AB86,10,23 302.05 (3) (c) 2. (intro.) Upon being informed by the department under subd. 1. that an inmate whom the court sentenced under s. 973.01 has successfully completed a rehabilitation treatment program described in sub. (1), the court shall modify the inmate's bifurcated sentence as follows:

AB86, s. 28 Section 28. 302.05 (3) (c) 3. of the statutes is repealed.

AB86, s. 29 Section 29. 302.05 (3) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,11,3 302.05 (3) (d) The department may place intensive sanctions program participants in a rehabilitation treatment program described in sub. (1), but pars. (b) and (c) do not apply to those participants.

AB86, s. 30 Section 30. 302.11 (1g) (b) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,11,12 302.11 (1g) (b) (intro.) Before an incarcerated inmate with a presumptive mandatory release date reaches the presumptive mandatory release date specified under par. (am), the earned release review parole commission shall proceed under s. 304.06 (1) to consider whether to deny presumptive mandatory release to the inmate. If the earned release review parole commission does not deny presumptive mandatory release, the inmate shall be released on parole. The earned release review parole commission may deny presumptive mandatory release to an inmate only on one or more of the following grounds:

AB86, s. 31 Section 31. 302.11 (1g) (b) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,11,20 302.11 (1g) (b) 2. Refusal by the inmate to participate in counseling or treatment that the social service and clinical staff of the institution determines is necessary for the inmate, including pharmacological treatment using an antiandrogen or the chemical equivalent of an antiandrogen if the inmate is a serious child sex offender as defined in s. 304.06 (1q) (a). The earned release review parole commission may not deny presumptive mandatory release to an inmate because of the inmate's refusal to participate in a rehabilitation program under s. 301.047.

AB86, s. 32 Section 32. 302.11 (1g) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,11,25 302.11 (1g) (c) If the earned release review parole commission denies presumptive mandatory release to an inmate under par. (b), the earned release review parole commission shall schedule regular reviews of the inmate's case to consider whether to parole the inmate under s. 304.06 (1).

AB86, s. 33 Section 33. 302.11 (1g) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,12,4 302.11 (1g) (d) An inmate may seek review of a decision by the earned release review parole commission relating to the denial of presumptive mandatory release only by the common law writ of certiorari.

AB86, s. 34 Section 34. 302.11 (1m) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,12,8 302.11 (1m) An inmate serving a life term is not entitled to mandatory release. Except as provided in ss. 939.62 (2m) (c) and 973.014, the earned release review parole commission may parole the inmate as specified in s. 304.06 (1).

AB86, s. 35 Section 35. 302.11 (7) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,12,12 302.11 (7) (c) The earned release review parole commission may subsequently parole, under s. 304.06 (1), and the department may subsequently parole, under s. 304.02, a parolee who is returned to prison for violation of a condition of parole.

AB86, s. 36 Section 36. 302.113 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,12,24 302.113 (1) An inmate is subject to this section if he or she is serving a bifurcated sentence imposed under s. 973.01. An inmate convicted of a misdemeanor or of a Class F to Class I felony that is not a violent offense, as defined in s. 301.048 (2) (bm) 1., and who is eligible for positive adjustment time under sub. (2) (b) pursuant to s. 973.01 (3d) (b) may be released to extended supervision under sub. (2) (b) or (9h). An inmate convicted of a Class C to Class E felony or a Class F to Class I felony that is a violent offense, as defined in s. 301.048 (2) (bm) 1., or a Class F to Class I felony that is not a violent offense, as defined under s. 301.048 (2) (bm) 1., but who is ineligible for positive adjustment time under sub. (2) (b) pursuant to s. 973.01 (3d) (b) may be released to extended supervision only under sub. (2) (a) or (9h) or s. 304.06.

AB86, s. 37 Section 37. 302.113 (2) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 302.113 (2) and amended to read:

AB86,13,9 302.113 (2) Except as provided in par. (b) and subs. (3) and (9) and s. 304.06, an inmate subject to this section is entitled to release to extended supervision after he or she has served the term of confinement in prison portion of the sentence imposed under s. 973.01, as modified by the department under sub. (9h), as modified under s. 302.1135 by the earned release review commission in the manner specified in s. 302.1135 (6) (a), or as modified by the sentencing court under sub. (9g) or s. 302.045 (3m) (b) 1., 302.05 (3) (c) 2. a., or 973.195 (1r), or 973.198, if applicable.

AB86, s. 38 Section 38. 302.113 (2) (b) of the statutes is repealed.

AB86, s. 39 Section 39. 302.113 (2) (c) of the statutes is repealed.

AB86, s. 40 Section 40. 302.113 (3) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB86,13,16 302.113 (3) (d) If the term of confinement in prison portion of a bifurcated sentence for a Class B felony is increased under this subsection, the term of extended supervision is reduced so that the total length of the bifurcated sentence does not change.

AB86, s. 41 Section 41. 302.113 (3) (e) of the statutes is repealed.

AB86, s. 42 Section 42. 302.113 (7) of the statutes is amended to read: