One proposal this session would create a pilot program for pretrial supervision of the accused.
While raising a constitutional question, advocates say similar programs in South Dakota have proven effective.
HB 1015 would create a pilot program of supervised release for people awaiting trial. On one hand, that is police supervision of someone who hasn’t been convicted of a crime. On the other hand, Minnehaha County has reported a 40 percent drop in the accused dipping their parole dates under this policy.
That’s according to Greg Sattizahn, the state courts administrator. He said the pilot program would be hosted in Pennington County.
“The opportunity is identifying what people need when they’re released from jail and connecting them to those services with the idea they won't reoffend or failure to participate in their case as it moves through the court system which essentially bogs down everything and can be very costly to the counties,” Sattizahn said.
Sattizahn said despite the discussions in committee, he believes the bill has a path forward to law.
“I thought there was a lot of really good discussion," Sattizahn said. "Obviously, I heard what they said about making sure we get some folks from Pennington County to express their support for the program. That’s important, and I know we have that, so we’ll get that communicated out.”
The bill advanced out of committee on a 10-3 vote. The proposal was supported heartily by Sioux Falls Rep. John Hughes.
“Chief Justice (Steven) Jensen is really distinguishing himself as willing to step back and take a policy view, which is really needed in our society today," Hughes said. "It’s for the courts to not be a silo apart from the executive and legislative branches, but break down those barriers and have communication and conversation.”
This proposal is grant-funded by the MacArthur Foundation and would not require the use of taxpayer money.