Bill > HB1871

This bill amends Arkansas law regarding probation and suspended sentence revocations by introducing a mandatory incarceration requirement for repeat offenders. Currently, when a defendant violates probation or a suspended sentence, a court may choose to revoke the suspension and sentence the individual to incarceration. The new provision specifically mandates that if a defendant has had their probation or suspended sentence revoked at least three times, the court must sentence them to imprisonment for a period equal to the original term of their suspended sentence or probation. This means that after three violations, the individual loses the discretionary option of continued probation and will be required to serve a full term of incarceration in the Division of Correction. The bill aims to create a more stringent approach to repeat probation violators, potentially serving as a deterrent to continued non-compliance with court-ordered supervision and as a way to protect public safety by removing repeatedly non-compliant individuals from the community for a substantial period.

Justice

https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=hb1871&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R