By C1 Staff
SALT LAKE CITY — New judicial reforms giving probation and parole officers more discretion in dealing with offenders went into effect Oct. 1.
Good4Utah reports that the reforms allow officers to reward good behavior with reduced time on parole or probation.
Officers can also take other steps if an offender’s violation would have usually sent them back to court or jail, allowing officers to spend more time on high risk offenders.
Parole and probation officer Chris Carter said the reforms would be helpful, allowing officers to work more one-on-one with the offenders.
“For lack of a better term, it takes some of the power out of the courts to let us work with these people and help them and just keep moving forward versus just going back to jail or back to prison,” Carter said.
The reforms aim to reward offenders for success, rather than just punishing them for breaking the law.
The move is expected to save taxpayers money.