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Committee previews pretrial services expansion, counsel‑at‑first‑appearance rollout
Summary
Legislative staff and agency leaders described North Dakota's pretrial services pilot history, current funding and a January 2026 rollout of counsel at first appearance; committee asked for third‑party evaluations and more program data.
Austin (committee staff) and Tom Earhart, chief probation and parole officer for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR), briefed the Interim Judiciary Committee on ongoing pretrial services operations and study directions. Austin summarized the legislative directives and funding history: the pretrial services pilot was created in 2017 (House Bill 1041), received ongoing funding in 2019 (about $755,000 and seven FTEs) and has expanded in subsequent sessions with additional full‑time positions and one‑time appropriations, including a $1,000,000 one‑time appropriation in 2023 for a prosecution‑led diversion supervision pilot. Tom Earhart outlined eligibility, purpose…
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