Section 5149.31 - Subsidies and standards for community-based corrections programs; Eligibility(A) The department of rehabilitation and correction shall do all of the following: (1) Establish and administer a program of subsidies for eligible counties and groups of counties for felony offenders and a program of subsidies for eligible municipal corporations, counties, and groups of counties for misdemeanor offenders for the development, implementation, and operation of community corrections programs. Department expenditures for administration of both programs of subsidies shall not exceed ten per cent of the moneys appropriated for each of the purposes of this division.(2) Adopt and promulgate rules, under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, providing standards for community corrections programs. The standards adopted by the department shall specify the class of offender whose degree of felony, whose community control sanction revocation history, or whose risk level as assessed by the single validated risk assessment tool described in section 5120.114 of the Revised Code, make the offender suitable for participation in community corrections programs. The rules shall make the level of subsidy provided to every county or group of counties contingent upon the number of offenders participating in community corrections programs each fiscal year who satisfy the participation suitability standards established by the department and upon the outcomes of any performance-based standards established by the department. The standards shall be designed to improve the quality and efficiency of the programs, to support evidence-based policies and practices, as defined by the department, and to reduce the number of persons committed to state correctional institutions and to county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jails or workhouses for offenses for which community control sanctions are authorized under section 2929.13, 2929.15, or 2929.25 of the Revised Code. In developing the standards, the department shall consult with, and seek the advice of, local corrections agencies, law enforcement agencies, and other public and private agencies concerned with corrections. The department shall conduct, and permit participation by local corrections planning boards established under section 5149.34 of the Revised Code and joint county corrections planning boards established under section 5149.35 of the Revised Code in, an annual review of the standards to measure their effectiveness in promoting the purposes specified in this division and shall amend or rescind any existing rule providing a standard or adopt and promulgate additional rules providing standards, under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, if the review indicates that the standards fail to promote the purposes. (3) Accept and use any funds, goods, or services from the federal government or any other public or private source for the support of the subsidy programs established under division (A) of this section. The department may comply with any conditions and enter into any agreements that it considers necessary to obtain these funds, goods, or services.(4) Adopt rules, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, and do all other things necessary to implement sections 5149.30 to 5149.37 of the Revised Code; (5) Evaluate or provide for the evaluation of community corrections programs funded by the subsidy programs established under division (A)(1) of this section and establish means of measuring their effectiveness;(6) Prepare an annual report evaluating the subsidy programs established under division (A)(1) of this section. The report shall include, but need not be limited to, analyses of the structure of the programs and their administration by the department, the effectiveness of the programs in the development and implementation of community corrections programs, the specific standards adopted and promulgated under division (A)(2) of this section and their effectiveness in promoting the purposes of the programs, and the findings of the evaluations conducted under division (A)(5) of this section. The director of rehabilitation and correction shall review and certify the accuracy of the report and provide copies of it, upon request, to members of the general assembly.(7) Provide training or assistance, upon the request of a local corrections planning board or a joint county corrections planning board, to any local unit of government, subject to available resources of the department.(B)(1) In order to be eligible for the subsidies under this section, counties, groups of counties, and municipal corporations shall satisfy all applicable requirements under sections 2301.27 and 2301.30 of the Revised Code and, except for sentencing decisions made by a court when use of the risk assessment tool is discretionary, shall utilize the single validated risk assessment tool selected by the department under section 5120.114 of the Revised Code.(2) The department shall give any county, group of counties, or municipal corporation found to be noncompliant with the requirements described in division (B)(1) of this section a reasonable period of time to come into compliance. If the noncompliant county, group of counties, or municipal corporation does not become compliant after a reasonable period of time, the department shall reduce or eliminate the subsidy granted to that county, group of counties, or municipal corporation.Amended by 134th General Assembly, HB 110,§101.01, eff. 9/30/2021.Amended by 129th General Assembly, HB 86, §1, eff. 9/30/2011.Effective Date: 01-01-2004 .