Committee considers bill to restore DOC work crews as early sentencing option

The House Corrections and Institutions Committee discussed H.1706 on Feb. 12, a bill that would direct the Department of Corrections (DOC) to reinstate the prior work‑crew model used for community restitution in lieu of other sentencing outcomes. Committee members and bill sponsors said DOC discontinued the prior work‑crew program after issuing rescinding memoranda (nos. 339 and 392) and replacing it with a different program that defense attorneys, prosecutors and some courts have not used.

Committee leaders said the work‑crew option historically was offered very early in the case process — sometimes at arraignment — and that plea agreements using the option typically required short periods of service (commonly about 14 days). A sponsor of H.1706 told the committee, "you need to go back to exactly what you had, before," and said the bill was intended to reopen discussion with DOC about restoring a tool that advocates and some practitioners view as effective for quickly resolving low‑level cases.

The discussion focused on three practical constraints: DOC staffing and supervision costs for running crews, lower post‑COVID participation rates that made the program expensive to operate, and uncertain fiscal impacts on DOC's budget if the model is reinstated. The chair of the committee emphasized that work crews are administered by DOC but are used as a sentencing option by prosecutors, defense counsel and the courts, so the committee will coordinate with House Judiciary on sentencing mechanics. Members repeatedly recommended soliciting direct input from DOC, prosecutors, defense counsel and judges before advancing statutory language.

Speakers also described the kinds of cases typically tied to work crews: lower‑level offenses and misdemeanors rather than violent crimes. One committee member said the absence of the work‑crew option has lengthened case resolution times and contributed to court docket pressure, because some matters now wait months for plea resolution or diversion instead of being settled immediately with a short work assignment.

No formal vote on H.1706 occurred during the discussion. Several members and at least one committee member who has signed onto the bill said they would pursue proposals and fiscal information to bring back to the committee. Next steps the committee identified were scheduling hearings that include testimony from DOC operations staff, prosecutors, defense counsel and a judge, and requesting a fiscal analysis of the budget impact on DOC if the work‑crew model were reconstituted.

The committee shifted to other agenda items after agreeing to gather additional material and stakeholder testimony before considering statutory change.