Senate Study Bill 3105 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON KREIMAN) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the confinement of persons committed to the 1 custody of the department of corrections at a jail. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5044XC (3) 83 jm/nh
S.F. _____ Section 1. Section 901.7, Code 2009, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 901.7 Commitment to custody. 3 In imposing a sentence of confinement for more than one 4 year, the court shall commit the defendant to the custody of 5 the director of the Iowa department of corrections. Upon entry 6 of judgment and sentence, the clerk of the district court 7 immediately shall notify the director of the commitment. The 8 court shall make an order as appropriate for the temporary 9 custody of the defendant pending the defendant’s transfer to 10 the custody of the director. The court shall order the county 11 where a person was convicted to pay the cost of temporarily 12 confining the person and of transporting the person to the 13 state institution where the person is to be confined in 14 execution of the judgment. If the person is sentenced to 15 confinement pursuant to section 903.4, subsection 3, paragraph 16 “b” , the state shall pay the cost of confinement beginning 17 on the first day of confinement after sentencing. The order 18 shall require that a person transported to a state institution 19 pursuant to this section shall be accompanied by a person of 20 the same sex. 21 Sec. 2. Section 903.1, subsection 2, Code 2009, is amended 22 to read as follows: 23 2. When a person is convicted of an aggravated misdemeanor, 24 and a specific penalty is not provided for, the maximum penalty 25 shall be imprisonment not to exceed two years. There shall be 26 a fine of at least six hundred twenty-five dollars but not to 27 exceed six thousand two hundred fifty dollars. When a judgment 28 of conviction of an aggravated misdemeanor is entered against 29 any person and the court imposes a sentence of confinement 30 for a period of more than one year the term shall be an 31 indeterminate term. Such confinement may be at a jail pursuant 32 to section 903.4, subsection 3, paragraph “b” . 33 Sec. 3. Section 903.4, Code 2009, is amended to read as 34 follows: 35 -1- LSB 5044XC (3) 83 jm/nh 1/ 7
S.F. _____ 903.4 Providing place of confinement. 1 1. All persons A person sentenced to confinement for a 2 period of one year or less shall be confined in a place to be 3 furnished by the county where the conviction was had unless the 4 person is presently committed to the custody of the director 5 of the Iowa department of corrections, in which case the 6 provisions of section 901.8 apply. 7 2. All persons A person sentenced to confinement for a 8 period of more than one year shall be committed to the custody 9 of the director of the Iowa department of corrections to be 10 confined in a place to be designated by the director and the 11 cost of the confinement shall be borne by the state except as 12 provided in subsection 3 . 13 3. A person sentenced to confinement for a period of more 14 than one year but not exceeding two years shall be committed to 15 the custody of the director of the department of corrections to 16 be confined for an indefinite term in a place designated by the 17 court as follows: 18 a. The court may order the confinement be in a place 19 designated by the director. 20 b. The court may order the confinement be served in a jail 21 subject to the limitations in subsection 4. 22 (1) A person confined pursuant to this paragraph “b” is 23 eligible to receive a reduction of sentence as provided in 24 chapter 903A. 25 (2) A person confined pursuant to this paragraph “b” shall 26 be paroled or placed on work release status, if eligible, in 27 the same manner as other persons committed to the custody of 28 the director of the department of corrections. 29 (3) The director shall consider a person confined pursuant 30 to this paragraph “b” an inmate confined at an institution of 31 the department when practical. 32 4. The court shall not sentence a person to confinement 33 pursuant to subsection 3, paragraph “b” , unless the director 34 has approved the jail as an acceptable place of confinement 35 -2- LSB 5044XC (3) 83 jm/nh 2/ 7
S.F. _____ for persons committed to the custody of the director and the 1 director has negotiated a contract with the county pursuant to 2 subsection 6. 3 5. The cost of confinement pursuant to subsections 2 and 3 4 shall be borne by the state. 5 6. The director may contract with local governmental 6 units a county for the use of detention or correctional 7 facilities maintained by the units a jail for the confinement 8 of such persons pursuant to subsection 3, paragraph “b” . 9 Sec. 4. Section 903A.1, Code 2009, is amended to read as 10 follows: 11 903A.1 Conduct review. 12 The director of the Iowa department of corrections shall 13 appoint independent administrative law judges whose duties 14 shall include but are not limited to review, as provided in 15 section 903A.3, of the conduct of inmates in institutions under 16 the department or inmates committed to the custody of the 17 director of the department of corrections but confined in a 18 county jail pursuant to section 903.4, subsection 3, paragraph 19 “b” . Sections 10A.801 and 17A.11 do not apply to administrative 20 law judges appointed pursuant to this section. 21 Sec. 5. Section 903A.2, subsection 1, paragraph a, 22 subparagraphs (3) and (4), Code 2009, are amended to read as 23 follows: 24 (3) An employment program established or approved by the 25 director. 26 (4) A treatment program established or approved by the 27 director. 28 Sec. 6. Section 903A.2, subsection 3, Code 2009, is amended 29 to read as follows: 30 3. a. Time served in a jail or another facility prior to 31 actual placement in an institution under the control of the 32 department of corrections and credited against the sentence by 33 the court shall accrue for the purpose of reduction of sentence 34 under this section. Time which elapses during an escape shall 35 -3- LSB 5044XC (3) 83 jm/nh 3/ 7
S.F. _____ not accrue for purposes of reduction of sentence under this 1 section. 2 b. Time served in a jail or another facility prior to actual 3 placement in a jail pursuant to section 903.4, subsection 4 3, paragraph “b” , and credited against the sentence by the 5 court shall accrue for the purpose of reduction of sentence 6 under this section. Time which elapses during an escape shall 7 not accrue for purposes of reduction of sentence under this 8 section. 9 Sec. 7. Section 906.6, Code 2009, is amended to read as 10 follows: 11 906.6 Cooperation of correction personnel. 12 All persons employed in a correctional institution or 13 jail shall grant to the members of the board of parole, or its 14 properly accredited representatives, access at all reasonable 15 times to any person over whom the board has jurisdiction, shall 16 provide for the board or its representatives facilities for 17 communicating with and observing the person, and shall furnish 18 to the board reports the board requires concerning the conduct 19 and character of any person in their custody and any other 20 facts deemed by the board pertinent in determining whether the 21 person shall be released on parole or work release. 22 Sec. 8. Section 906.9, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2009, 23 is amended to read as follows: 24 When an inmate is discharged, paroled, or placed on work 25 release, the sheriff, warden , or superintendent shall furnish 26 the inmate, at state expense, appropriate clothing and 27 transportation to the place in this state indicated in the 28 inmate’s discharge, parole, or work release plan. When an 29 inmate is discharged, paroled, or placed on work release, the 30 sheriff, warden , or superintendent shall provide the inmate, at 31 state expense , or through inmate savings as provided in section 32 904.508, money in accordance with the following schedule: 33 Sec. 9. Section 906.9, unnumbered paragraph 2, Code 2009, 34 is amended to read as follows: 35 -4- LSB 5044XC (3) 83 jm/nh 4/ 7
S.F. _____ Those inmates receiving payment under subsection 2 shall 1 not be eligible for payment under subsection 1 unless they are 2 returned to the institution or jail . An inmate shall only be 3 eligible to receive one payment under this section during any 4 twelve-month period. The sheriff, warden , or superintendent 5 shall maintain an account of all funds expended pursuant to 6 this section. 7 Sec. 10. Section 906.16, subsections 1 and 4, Code 2009, are 8 amended to read as follows: 9 1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the 10 time when a prisoner is on parole or work release from the 11 institution or jail shall apply to the sentence against the 12 parolee or work releasee. 13 4. The time when a prisoner is absent from the institution 14 or jail by reason of an escape shall not apply upon the 15 sentence against the prisoner. 16 EXPLANATION 17 This bill relates to confining persons committed to the 18 custody of the department of corrections at a jail. 19 The bill affects a person sentenced to confinement for more 20 than one year but not exceeding two years. 21 Under the bill, a person sentenced to confinement for more 22 than one year but not exceeding two years shall be committed to 23 the custody of the director of the department of corrections 24 for an indefinite term in a place designated by the court. The 25 bill allows the court to sentence a period of confinement at 26 an institution designated by the director of the department of 27 corrections or, in the alternative, the court may order the 28 period of confinement be served in a county jail. Current law 29 requires any person sentenced to confinement for more than one 30 year serve that sentence in a place to be designated by the 31 director of the department of corrections. 32 The court shall not sentence persons eligible for 33 confinement at a jail pursuant to the bill, unless the director 34 of the department of corrections has approved the jail as an 35 -5- LSB 5044XC (3) 83 jm/nh 5/ 7
S.F. _____ acceptable place of confinement for persons committed to the 1 custody of the director and the director has negotiated a 2 contract with the county to confine such persons. The bill 3 specifies the director of the department of corrections may 4 contract with a county for the use of the jail for persons 5 sentenced to confinement under the bill. Current law permits 6 the director of the department of corrections to contract with 7 a local government for the use of a detention or correctional 8 facility maintained by the local government to confine persons. 9 The costs of a person sentenced to confinement at a jail 10 under the bill shall be paid by the state. 11 The bill directs the director of the department of 12 corrections to consider an inmate confined at a jail pursuant 13 to the bill an inmate confined at an institution of the 14 department of corrections. 15 A person sentenced to confinement at a jail under the 16 bill is eligible to receive earned time in the same manner 17 as other inmates committed to the custody of the director of 18 the department of corrections and who are serving a sentence 19 of confinement at an institution under the control of the 20 department of corrections. 21 The bill expands the authority of the director of the 22 department of corrections to approve employment and treatment 23 programs, not established by the director, that would be 24 available to reduce the sentence of an inmate, if the inmate 25 successfully completes such a program. 26 The bill allows an administrative law judge appointed 27 pursuant to Code section 903A.1 to review the conduct of 28 an inmate committed to the custody of the director of the 29 department of corrections who is sentenced to confinement in 30 a jail. 31 A person confined at a jail pursuant to the bill shall be 32 paroled, if eligible, in the same manner as other persons 33 committed to the custody of the director of the department of 34 corrections. 35 -6- LSB 5044XC (3) 83 jm/nh 6/ 7
S.F. _____ The bill does not affect reimbursements to counties for 1 violators under Code sections 904.513 (operating while 2 intoxicated), 904.908 (work release), and 906.17 (parole). 3 -7- LSB 5044XC (3) 83 jm/nh 7/ 7