HF3496

Purpose

This bill changes rules for people in correctional supervision by tying certain privileges to paying restitution and by creating a commissioner-approved policy for earning credits and moving to a reduced-supervision status.

Main Provisions

• The commissioner must adopt a policy that provides for earned compliance credits and a process for moving an individual to supervision abatement status, including when credits can be earned and how someone transitions to abatement.
• Eligibility for supervision abatement occurs when the time spent on active supervision plus earned compliance credits equals the total length of the supervised release term, or the combined length of the supervised release term and any applicable conditional release term.
• The commissioner cannot place someone on supervision abatement if doing so would pose a risk to public safety, and must weigh factors such as the individual’s stability, behavior, and overall adjustment while on supervision.
• For people with lifetime terms of conditional release, abatement is only allowed if the time served on active supervision plus earned credits equals at least ten years.
• A person is not eligible for supervision abatement until they have paid all court-ordered restitution.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Adds a requirement that restitution payments must be completed before an inmate can be placed on supervision abatement.
• establishes a formal policy framework for earned compliance credits and abatement status.
• Introduces public-safety risk considerations that can prevent abatement.
• Sets a ten-year minimum time requirement for lifetime conditional release terms before abatement eligibility.

Implementation and Impact

• Alters the pathway and timeline for moving individuals off active supervision.
• Creates a financial condition (restitution payment) that must be met before eligibility for abatement, potentially slowing abatement for some offenders.
• Links incentives (earned credits) to safe completion of supervision and fiscal obligations.

Relevant Terms earned compliance credit supervision abatement status active supervision supervised release term conditional release term lifetime terms of conditional release restitution court-ordered restitution public safety commissioner Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement section 244.46 subdivision 1