Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 5149 | Adult Parole Authority
Section 5149.311 | Establishment and Administration of Probation Improvement Grant and Probation Incentive Grant.

Effective: September 29, 2017
Latest Legislation: House Bill 49 - 132nd General Assembly
(A) The department of rehabilitation and correction shall establish and administer the probation improvement grant and the probation incentive grant for common pleas, municipal, and county court probation departments and community-based correctional facilities that supervise offenders sentenced by courts of common pleas, municipal courts, or county courts.
(B)(1) The probation improvement grant shall provide funding to common pleas, municipal, and county court probation departments and community-based correctional facilities to adopt policies and practices based on the latest research on how to reduce the number of offenders on probation supervision who violate the conditions of their supervision.
(2) The department shall adopt rules for the distribution of the probation improvement grant, including both of the following:
(a) The formula for the allocation of the subsidy based on the number of offenders placed on probation annually in each jurisdiction;
(b) The allocation of funds for the purpose of offsetting costs incurred by political subdivisions in relation to offenders who are prohibited from serving the term of imprisonment in an institution under the control of the department of rehabilitation and correction pursuant to division (B)(3)(c) of section 2929.34 of the Revised Code.
(C)(1) The probation incentive grant shall provide a performance-based level of funding to common pleas, municipal, and county court probation departments and community-based correctional facilities that are successful in reducing the number of offenders on probation supervision whose terms of supervision are revoked.
(2) The department shall calculate annually any cost savings realized by the state from a reduction in the percentage of people who are incarcerated because their terms of supervised probation were revoked. The cost savings estimate shall be calculated for each jurisdiction served by the probation department or community-based correctional facility eligible for a grant under this section and be based on the difference from the average of such commitments from the five calendar years immediately preceding the calendar year in which application for the grant was made and the fiscal year under examination.
(3) The department shall adopt rules that specify the subsidy amount to be appropriated to common pleas, municipal, and county court probation departments and community-based correctional facilities that successfully reduce the percentage of people on probation who are incarcerated because their terms of supervision are revoked.
(D) The following stipulations apply to both the probation improvement grant and the probation incentive grant:
(1) In order to be eligible for the probation improvement grant and the probation incentive grant, common pleas, municipal, and county courts must satisfy all requirements under sections 2301.27 and 2301.30 of the Revised Code. Except for sentencing decisions made by a court when use of the risk assessment tool is discretionary, in order to be eligible for the probation improvement grant and the probation incentive grant, a court or community-based correctional facility must utilize the single validated risk assessment tool selected by the department of rehabilitation and correction under section 5120.114 of the Revised Code.
(2) The department may deny a subsidy under this section to any applicant if the applicant fails to comply with the terms of any agreement entered into pursuant to any of the provisions of this section.
(3) The department shall evaluate or provide for the evaluation of the policies, practices, and programs the common pleas, municipal, or county court probation departments or community-based correctional facilities utilize with the programs of subsidies established under this section and establish means of measuring their effectiveness.
(4) The department shall specify the policies, practices, and programs for which common pleas, municipal, or county court probation departments or community-based correctional facilities may use the program subsidy and shall establish minimum standards of quality and efficiency that recipients of the subsidy must follow. The department shall give priority to supporting evidence-based policies and practices, as defined by the department.