Department of Corrections officials described the structure and work of the combined Division of Pretrial, Probation and Parole during a Feb. 13 Senate State Affairs hearing, including distinctions between institution‑based sentence electronic monitoring and the pretrial monitoring used for court‑ordered releases.

Why it matters: Pretrial supervision and electronic monitoring affect who remains in custody, who is released under conditions and how courts manage public safety and caseflow.

Deputy Commissioner April Wilkerson told senators that the pretrial division was originally established under Senate Bill 91 and maintained under House Bill 49. She said the 2019 merger of pretrial with probation and parole reduced administrative costs and kept supervision in 13 regional locations.

Wilkerson and other officials emphasized that defendants ordered to electronic monitoring may choose either DOC’s program — which the department provides at no cost to the individual — or a private vendor that charges fees to participants. “DOC is no cost,” Wilkerson said. She also described cases in which defendants have moved between private vendors and DOC supervision depending on court outcomes.

Committee members pressed DOC on unsentenced populations and the time people spend in custody awaiting adjudication. Deputy Director Sydney Wood said the average unsentenced stay is a number of days rather than weeks or months but did not supply a precise average; she offered to provide written data. DOC officials also said they are revalidating the pretrial risk assessment tool with completion expected by July 1 and are evaluating the overall pretrial program.

Ending: DOC officials agreed to follow up with written answers on average unsentenced lengths of stay and other pretrial metrics; the committee did not take formal action.