Bill > HB159

This bill authorizes the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office to establish a pilot program, known as the Caddo Parish Pretrial Home Incarceration Program, which allows eligible defendants to serve their pretrial detention period under home incarceration with electronic monitoring instead of being held in jail. Eligibility for this program is restricted to defendants not charged with violent crimes or sex offenses, and who are deemed by the Sheriff's Office to be likely to respond positively to the program, with a risk assessment conducted in coordination with the district attorney and district court. The Sheriff's Office must develop rules for the program's operation, including supervision, conditions of participation (such as curfews, home visits, and limitations on activities outside the home), the use of electronic monitoring devices, requirements for defendants to obtain employment and pay a supervision fee, and provisions for indigent defendants. The program may also require behavioral health checks if risk assessments indicate such factors are relevant to a defendant's compliance. Defendants must agree in writing to the program's conditions, and participation does not negate bail obligations. The court must approve a defendant's participation, and can terminate it at any time. The Sheriff can collect fees to fund the program, apply for grants, and enter into agreements with other entities. Defendants who violate program conditions can be returned to jail. The Sheriff and parish governing authority are not responsible for a participant's medical, transportation, housing, food, or clothing costs, nor are they liable for any acts committed by a participant. The pilot program will be evaluated for its effectiveness, and a report will be submitted to legislative committees and the Caddo Parish Commission. The program is set to terminate when a larger jail is constructed or existing jail capacity is significantly expanded, at which point no new participants will be admitted, and existing participants will be allowed to complete their terms as the program is phased out. The program can be implemented by January 1, 2027, with the initial evaluation report due before the 2028 legislative session.

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https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=26rs&b=HB159&sbi=y