Governor proposes $200,000 to expand pretrial supervision; lawmakers question utilization

Jay Pershing Johnson, legal counsel to the governor, briefed the House Corrections and Institutions Committee on the administration's proposal to add $200,000 in FY27 to the Department of Corrections' base budget to staff a statewide pretrial supervision program.

Johnson described the program's origin in Act 138 of 2024 and said the program's purpose is to use evidence‑based strategies to improve compliance with conditions of release, coordinate pretrial services, ensure attendance at court and reduce recidivism while cases are pending. He said the statute creates the program but requires appropriation to operate statewide.

Committee members sought clarification on prior funding and utilization. Members recalled an initial $600,000 put into the program to start operations in FY25 and said they believed additional funding might have been added later; Johnson said he would provide exact accounting. He acknowledged the program has been underutilized in some counties and urged the committee to solicit views from prosecutors, public defenders and the judiciary on barriers to uptake. "DOC can't control utilization of this program any more than it controls court behavior," Johnson said; he recommended hearing from the courts and defense bar on how to make the tool usable.

Lawmakers debated whether additional staff money should be added before addressing utilization barriers. Johnson noted one statutory change the administration proposed would allow supervision officers to notify the court directly of violations; currently DOC must contact a prosecutor who then contacts the court. The change is intended to streamline reporting of potential violations.

Next steps: Johnson will supply committee staff with details about prior appropriations and expenditures for the program and the administration will coordinate hearings with judiciary and stakeholders to identify utilization barriers.