Committee advances DOC home-confinement pilot for selected low-risk inmates amid victim-notification concerns

Sponsor advocates described SB 11-10 as a narrowly targeted program to reduce recidivism by letting eligible inmates (no serious priors, no violent disciplinary infractions, not previously in the program) serve the final portion of their sentence under monitored home confinement. The sponsor said the federal First Step Act model reduced recidivism for comparable populations and that the program would be phased in to limit risks.

Committee members repeatedly raised concerns about retroactivity language in the draft (dating back to 1993), the scope of eligible offenses and the costs and oversight for monitoring a large cohort. The sponsor said the 1993 date was flexible and negotiable and that Department of Corrections and probation had been consulted and were comfortable with phased implementation; DOC could initially absorb start-up costs, the sponsor said.

Several committee members highlighted victim-notification concerns and urged tighter language to ensure victims could object to an inmate’s participation. The sponsor agreed to work on tightening notification and rulemaking provisions; a judicial representative urged caution around broad retroactivity because of legal risks. The committee returned SB 11-10 with a due-pass recommendation.

Votes and next steps: the committee recorded a do-pass recommendation on SB 11-10 with recorded roll-call disagreement but ultimately returned it to pass; sponsors signaled willingness to tighten rulemaking and retroactivity language before floor consideration.