OPINION:
At its best, supervised release after imprisonment helps people turn their lives around while keeping the public safe. Yet for too long, a cookie-cutter approach that makes supervision automatic in nearly all federal cases has handcuffed courts and stretched resources at the expense of public safety.
The Safer Supervision Act offers a sensible solution that is rooted in values such as fairness, compassion and second chances. The act would require the use of individualized assessments to evaluate the public safety benefit of supervised release on a case-by-case basis. When supervision is deemed appropriate, courts would tailor the terms to the nature of each person’s crime and risk factors. With smaller caseloads, probation officers could focus their attention on the people presenting the greatest risks.
This bill would also encourage rehabilitation by giving courts greater discretion to respond proportionally when someone experiences a setback, allowing them to use graduated, community-based alternatives to incarceration. Revocation of supervision is a huge, costly driver of our nation’s high incarceration rates. Although some people should return to prison, many revocations are for technical violations: failing to find a job or missing a parole appointment, for example. Instead of reincarcerating someone who poses no threat, probation officers should be empowered to connect that person with community resources to get them back on track.
The bill would also create a defined path to ending supervision early for those who demonstrate commitment to rehabilitation. Incentivizing changed behavior would motivate people to address core issues and take steps toward productive citizenship, not just stay under the radar until supervision ends.
Congress should act without delay. The Safer Supervision Act would return supervised release to its original purpose: to incentivize good behavior and safely reintegrate people into their communities.
SCOTT PEYTON
Director, government affairs, Prison Fellowship
Washington, Louisiana
Please read our comment policy before commenting.