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Committee backs bill letting solicitors place defendants in pretrial intervention multiple times with consent
Summary
House Bill 3057, reported by the Bridal Law Subcommittee, would allow a solicitor to admit a person to pretrial intervention more than once with solicitor consent (except for prior domestic-violence PTI). The committee voted to report the bill favorably after members debated open-ended use and victim input.
The House Judiciary Committee voted to give House Bill 3057 a favorable report after members debated whether allowing multiple admissions to pretrial intervention (PTI) under solicitor consent would be open-ended or a useful tool for reducing recidivism.
Mr. Weeks described H 3057 as amending code sections to permit a solicitor to give consent for a person to participate in PTI more than once, while specifically preventing a second PTI for a prior participation related to criminal domestic violence. "This bill would lift that bar if the solicitor consents," Weeks said.
Supporters, including Mr. Rutherford and Mr. Bannister, said solicitor discretion gives prosecutors tools to require treatment and monitored diversion instead of fines. "Sometimes before you dismiss a case you'd like to touch them, touching them, making them go through a procedure...the rates of recidivism are much lower with diversionary programs than without," Mr. Rutherford said.
Opponents voiced concerns about an open-ended program that could be used repeatedly without clear limits and urged stronger victim input and accountability. Mr. Quinn and others asked whether fees, transparency and limits should be considered; committee members noted that solicitors set PTI fees and that some limits could be proposed on the floor.
After discussion, the chair put the question and the committee voted the bill out favorably to the full House.
