PRINTER'S NO. 471
No. 461 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY SCHWARTZ, STAPLETON, KASUNIC, MELLOW, COSTA,
BODACK, O'PAKE AND KITCHEN, FEBRUARY 24, 1999
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, FEBRUARY 24, 1999
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of August 6, 1941 (P.L.861, No.323), entitled,
2 as amended, "An act to create a uniform and exclusive system
3 for the administration of parole in this Commonwealth;
4 providing state probation services; establishing the
5 'Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole'; conferring and
6 defining its jurisdiction, duties, powers and functions;
7 including the supervision of persons placed upon probation
8 and parole in certain designated cases; providing for the
9 method of appointment of its members; regulating the
10 appointment, removal and discharge of its officers, clerks
11 and employes; dividing the Commonwealth into administrative
12 districts for purposes of probation and parole; fixing the
13 salaries of members of the board and of certain other
14 officers and employes thereof; making violations of certain
15 provisions of this act misdemeanors; providing penalties
16 therefor; and for other cognate purposes, and making an
17 appropriation," further providing for county probation staff.
18 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
19 hereby enacts as follows:
20 Section 1. Section 17.1 of the act of August 6, 1941
21 (P.L.861, No.323), referred to as the Pennsylvania Board of
22 Probation and Parole Law, amended October 9, 1986 (P.L.1424,
23 No.134), is amended to read:
24 Section 17.1. (a) The board shall have exclusive power to
25 supervise any person hereafter placed on probation by any judge
1 of a court having criminal jurisdiction, when the court may by
2 special order direct supervision by the board.
3 (b) The board shall make pre-sentence investigations, when
4 requested to do so by the court.
5 (c) Any county which provides additional probation staff for
6 pre-sentence investigations and for improved probation
7 supervision and program, shall receive a grant-in-aid from the
8 Commonwealth through the board for additional cost incurred
9 thereby but only to the extent that the additional staff and
10 program meet the qualifications and standards established by the
11 board. For the fiscal year 1986-1987, the grant-in-aid shall
12 provide sixty-five percent (65%) of the personnel salary costs
13 incurred by a county to administer these additional services and
14 programs. For the fiscal year 1987-1988 and thereafter, the
15 grant-in-aid shall provide eighty percent (80%) of the personnel
16 salary costs incurred by a county to administer these additional
17 services and programs. If insufficient funds are appropriated,
18 each county shall receive a prorated reduction in the grant-in-
19 aid. County adult probation and parole officers engaged in
20 active case supervision shall supervise no more than an average
21 of sixty adults sentenced to terms of probation, intermediate
22 punishment or parole. When the average caseload in a particular
23 county exceeds sixty, the Commonwealth shall increase the grant-
24 in-aid subsidy to accommodate the required probation and parole
25 officers necessary to maintain an average of sixty offenders per
26 officer. The board shall establish rules and regulations for the
27 allocation of funds available for such grants-in-aid.
28 (d) The board shall provide in-service training for
29 personnel of county probation offices when requested to do so by
30 the court having jurisdiction of the probation office.
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1 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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