PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers is trying to end what they call the revolving door of probation.
State Senator Anthony Williams (D-Delaware and Philadelphia counties) is behind legislation that would put the brakes on technical probation violations that put people behind bars.
“There is a list of, I don’t know, about 20 things that you would probably be surprised that would send you back to prison," said Wiliams.
“Currently, you have a system where your probation officer says, 'Come in, I want to see you today. You have a doctor's appointment. You're at work.' Those are things that currently send people back to prison.”
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Among the examples given in the Senate Judiciary hearing on the legislation were a mother, three years into probation, who drove her child across county lines for a doctor’s appointment. Other cited examples included someone on probation who got a speeding ticket or was unable to pay a fine.
“Probation is supposed to be a pathway out of the criminal justice system. Instead, our Commonwealth is adding more and more people to community supervision and keeping them stuck there," said Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-Beaver, Greene and Washington Counties), who joined Williams in introducing the bill.
“It is time that Pennsylvania joins the 30 other states that have responsibly addressed probation sentences to ensure minor violations do not become a probation-to-prison revolving door.”
Senator, committee chairwoman, and prime sponsor Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming counties) said that under the bill, some probation violations would still result in prison time.
Bartolotta said there are violations that would carry prison time, including violence or failure to appear, but she said they’ve estimated unnecessary technical violations can cost taxpayers about $100 million each year
“It puts people back in their homes, with their families, helping to raise their kids, paying their taxes, going to work," said Bartolotta.
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"But it also alleviates a huge burden, a large, large burden monetarily on the taxpayers of Pennsylvania.”
In addition to changing guidelines on when a violation should result in prison time, the legislation also offers short-end probation terms for education, employment, or a drug treatment program.
The judiciary committee also moved a bill that would allow certain probation hearings to be held remotely, and one that would set rules about scheduling probation or parole meetings around the offender’s work schedule.
The legislation moves to the full Senate. An identical bill passed the Senate unanimously last year, but never made it out of committee in the House.
