TITLE 20

STATE PRISON AND COUNTY JAILS

CHAPTER 2

STATE BOARD OF CORRECTION

20-216.   Records, reports and statistics. (1) The board shall keep a record of and require reports from all persons on parole or probation and enforce observance of rules and regulations for parole or probation established by the commission or the courts. It shall prepare and publish reports and statistics relating to probation and parole and it shall submit to the governor, at such times as the governor may direct, but at least annually, a full and complete report of the board and its agents, showing the disposition of all cases coming before the board or the commission and such additional information relating thereto as the governor may request.

(2)  The board and the department of health and welfare shall submit a joint report to the legislature by January 15 each year analyzing:

(a)  The criminogenic needs of the active population of probationers and parolees;

(b)  Current funding available to deliver effective, evidence-based programming to address those needs; and

(c)  Any gap in funding to meet the treatment needs of all moderate and high-risk probationers and parolees.

(3)  By November 15, 2015, and biennially on November 15 thereafter, the board shall develop and deliver a report to the governor and the legislature on the programs to reduce recidivism that are funded by the state. Subject to the availability of moneys, the board may contract with an independent contractor or academic institution for this purpose. The report shall include an evaluation of the quality of each program and its likelihood to reduce recidivism among program participants and shall include a plan for program improvements by the board. The program evaluations shall ensure that treatment programs are delivering services in a way that aligns with the scientifically based research to reduce recidivism. Program evaluation shall be standardized and a validated program assessment tool shall be used. Each program evaluation shall include a site visit and interviews with key staff, interviews with offenders, group observation and file and material review. The information shall be compiled into a composite score indicating adherence to concepts that are linked with program effectiveness, such as program development, program procedures, staff, offender assessment, treatment processes and programs and quality assurance. Program evaluation should also include feedback to the program concerning strengths, weaknesses and recommendations for better adherence to scientifically based research and the principles of effective intervention.

(4)  For the purposes of this section:

(a)  "Program" means a treatment or intervention program or service that is intended to reduce the propensity of a person to commit crimes or improve the mental health of a person with the result of reducing the likelihood that the person will commit a crime or need emergency mental health services. "Program" does not mean or include an educational program or service that an agency is required to provide to meet educational requirements imposed by state law or a program that provides basic medical services.

(b)  "Scientifically based research" means research that obtains reliable and valid knowledge by:

(i)   Employing systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment;

(ii)  Involving rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn; and

(iii) Relying on measurements or observational methods that provide reliable and valid data across evaluators and observers, across multiple measurements and observations and across studies by the same or different investigators.

History:

[20-216, added 1947, ch. 53, sec. 16, p. 59; am. 1969, ch. 419, sec. 4, p. 1160; am. 1980, ch. 297, sec. 2, p. 769; am. 2014, ch. 150, sec. 8, p. 420.]