WASHINGTON – Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) co-sponsored the bipartisan, bicameral Safer Supervision Act, legislation aimed at ensuring the federal supervised release system effectively allocates resources to reduce recidivism and promote public safety, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

“Through my previous experience mentoring formerly incarcerated youth, I know that creating pathways to education and employment makes reentry a reality,” said Rep. Owens. “The Safer Supervision Act restores supervised release to the system that Congress originally intended, creating positive incentives to reduce recidivism and promote rehabilitation. I’m proud to be a champion for second chances, and this forward-thinking legislation works to reduce crime, restore victims, and reform offenders.” 

Specifically, the Safer Supervision Act:

• Requires courts to conduct an individualized assessment of the appropriateness of supervision and to state its reasons on the record.
• Creates positive incentives that encourage rehabilitation and good conduct. This bill establishes a rebuttable presumption in favor of early termination when the individual has served 50 percent of their term (or two-thirds for violent offenses), shown good conduct and compliance, and demonstrated that termination would not jeopardize public safety. This presumption ensures limited supervision resources are directed to the cases that warrant it, creating strong positive incentives for individuals to take the steps needed to rehabilitate and reintegrate.
• Provides courts with discretion to determine how to assess minor controlled substance possession violations. Although supervision can always be revoked for any violation of the revocation and reimprisonment are mandatory in certain circumstances, including for any possession of any controlled substance. The bill would create a narrow carveout so that courts have the discretion to decide whether reimprisonment or treatment and rehabilitation is the best approach for minor misdemeanor possession offenses that do not involve intent to distribute.

The full text of the Safer Supervision Act is available here. 

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