Parolees often stop reporting to their officers because they don’t have transportation or the money to pay their fines and fees.
In an effort to get such absconders back under supervision, the Department of Community Correction is offering amnesty from now until the end of March.
As long as parolees haven’t garnered new felony charges, they can report to their officers without fear of being jailed or punished, said Dina Tyler, a deputy director for the Community Correction Department.
If money is an issue, officers will work out a payment plan for those who have fallen behind, she added.
At this time, 2,200 parolees are considered to be evading supervision, which means at least 30 days have passed since they reported to their officers.
The amnesty offer is an attempt to find those parolees without further crowding the many jails already housing hundreds of parolees who are awaiting revocation hearings.
It also applies to parolees who have moved out of state.
“When parolees abscond supervision, the calendar on their sentence stops. It is not restarted until the offender is located and placed back under supervision or incarcerated,” according to a news release. “Every day spent on abscond status is considered dead time and doesn’t count.”
Absconders who haven’t reported by the end of March will be tracked down by the department’s newly assembled special response team and taken to jail. Members of the special response team are stationed throughout the state.
“ACC wants to make sure parolees and family members know this is not a ruse to collar offenders as has been used by various law enforcement agencies in the past,” the news release says. “ACC is not offering freebies or anything other than a chance to do the right thing, which is to complete their community supervision sentence just like the day they walked out of prison.
“But if we have to put out the effort to hunt them down - and we will - then they will be locked up.”
The Board of Corrections approved the amnesty plan Thursday, but “only as a onetime shot,” Vice Chairman Mary Parker said.
The Community Correction Department will send letters to parolees and their relatives in an effort to spread the word.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 01/25/2014