Florida Senate - 2014 (PROPOSED COMMITTEE BILL) SPB 7030
FOR CONSIDERATION By the Committee on Criminal Justice
591-01125C-14 20147030__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to community reentry programs;
3 requiring the Department of Corrections to develop an
4 operational plan to implement a vocational work
5 release pilot program in specified counties; requiring
6 that the operational plan describe the necessary
7 facilities, staff, budget, and methods for selecting
8 inmates to participate in the pilot program; providing
9 examples of vocational training or certification;
10 requiring inmates to be within a specified time period
11 of their release dates to be considered for
12 participation in the pilot program; providing criteria
13 to assess the risk of placing an inmate in the pilot
14 program; requiring that the department submit a report
15 to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified
16 date; providing an effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Vocational work-release pilot program.—
21 (1) The Department of Corrections shall develop an
22 operational plan to implement a vocational work-release pilot
23 program for the 2015-2016 fiscal year in Santa Rosa, Escambia,
24 Walton, and Okaloosa Counties. At a minimum, the operational
25 plan for the pilot program must describe and document:
26 (a) The resources needed for the program, including, but
27 not limited to, specific buildings, grounds, and property that
28 must be obtained for or redesignated as vocational work-release
29 facilities.
30 (b) The placement of facilities and services in specific
31 areas to maximize the opportunity for participating inmates to
32 benefit from being located near where they plan to live after
33 completion of their sentences.
34 (c) The additional staff or changes to staff qualifications
35 necessary to operate the program.
36 (d) The types of contracts the program intends to use for
37 private providers that desire to provide on-the-job vocational
38 training to eligible inmates.
39 (e) The security staffing plan.
40 (f) The programming plan.
41 (g) The proposed budget.
42 (h) The process and method for selecting an inmate to
43 participate in the program, including any initial screening
44 process, the criteria used in the risk assessment, and any
45 prioritization of placement.
46 (i) The changes in law which are necessary to implement the
47 program.
48 (2) The pilot program shall be designed to provide
49 residential care, custody, control, and on-the-job vocational
50 training or certification to eligible inmates. For purposes of
51 the program, vocational training or certification include, but
52 are not limited to, housing assistance, money management
53 training, employment assistance, vocational education, life
54 skills training, and substance abuse education or treatment.
55 (3) All inmates who are considered for participation in the
56 program must be within 36 months of their release dates. The
57 selection must be based upon a risk assessment process that
58 includes, but is not limited to, whether:
59 (a) The inmate has potential for rehabilitation and has the
60 need for on-the-job vocational training.
61 (b) The inmate can be placed in the geographic area where
62 he or she is from, or has family or identified friends, and
63 intends to reside in the area upon release from custody.
64 (4) The pilot program may include an existing community
65 work-release program established pursuant to s. 945.091, Florida
66 Statutes, as a service provider, but the existing program must
67 provide enhanced reentry services to participating inmates,
68 including, but not limited to, housing assistance, money
69 management training, employment assistance, vocational
70 education, life skills training, and substance abuse education
71 or treatment.
72 Section 2. The Department of Corrections shall submit a
73 status report related to the vocational work-release pilot
74 program authorized by this act by February 15, 2015, to the
75 Executive Office of the Governor, the President of the Senate,
76 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report must
77 document the projected number of inmates to be served by the
78 pilot program in the 2015-2016 fiscal year and the funding
79 needed to implement the operational plan.
80 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.