Senator Kathy Marchione announces Senate passage of her legislation requiring State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to maintain responsibility, costs of monitoring parolees with mandatory ignition interlock devices

For Release: Monday, June 19, 2017

Contact: Josh Fitzpatrick, (518) 455-2381, fitzpatr@nysenate.gov

Albany, NY – Senator Kathy Marchione (R,C,I,Reform-Halfmoon), Chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, today announced the Senate’s passage of her legislation, Senate Bill S.193, that would amend the State Executive Law by requiring the State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to maintain the responsibility and costs of monitoring anyone on parole with the mandatory requirement of an ignition interlock device on their vehicle. Senator Marchione’s legislation passed the Senate during tonight’s Session by a vote of 62-0.

Under present law, the State Office of Parole is charged with the supervision and re-entry of persons released from State Prison who are required to install an ignition interlock device as per the provisions created by Leandra’s Law. The County agency designated to monitor these same offenders must also supervise parolees after the completion of their State Prison sentence for a mandatory six-month interlock condition.

The monitoring of parolees by County departments such as Probation, District Attorney, Sheriffs’ offices and County STOP DWI is duplicative because the Office of Parole is already charged with performing this supervision. Having the Office of Parole as the sole entity responsible for the supervision of these cases allows for more effective monitoring of ignition interlock requirements in conjunction with the individual’s other conditions of parole. Senator Marchione’s bill will eliminate an unnecessary expense for counties and County property taxpayers.

“The State Office of Parole is the logical entity to not only oversee individuals that have an ignition interlock device on their vehicle as a condition of parole but to maintain the costs associated with this effort. My legislation also would remove a cost that counties presently bear and, in doing so, helps protect local taxpayers. This is a common sense criminal justice and cost savings measure and I am hopeful it will become law this year,” Senator Marchione said.

Senator Marchione’s legislation has an Assembly companion measure, Assembly Bill A.2915, sponsored by Assemblymember John T. McDonald III (D-Cohoes), and was referred to the Assembly Committee on Correction.

###