Pennsylvania Ratifies
Interstate Compact on Parolee Transfers
HARRISBURG—A bill sponsored by Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf authorizing
Pennsylvania’s membership in a revised interstate agreement for the
supervision of parolees became law this week with the signature of Gov. Mark
Schweiker.
The new version of the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision
required approval by 35 states to go into effect.
With the enactment of Senate Bill 391, now known as Act 56 of 2002,
Pennsylvania became the thirty-fifth state to join the agreement.
The first 35 states to ratify the compact are accorded the opportunity to
develop the rules by which the compact will operate.
The previous compact, developed in 1937, was considered outdated.
The revised plan, designed by the Council of State Governments and the
National Institute of Corrections, is aimed at enhancing enforcement,
accountability, and information sharing among states.
It will emphasize uniform procedures, better tracking, and improved
notification of authorities, communities,
and crime victims regarding the movement of offenders.
Demand for change in the compact
came about at the time that Sen. Greenleaf initiated reforms in the system of
out-of-state parole supervision in Pennsylvania. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Greenleaf
worked with the State Board of Probation and Parole to make changes after an
out-of-state parolee, Arthur Bomar, transferred to the commonwealth from Nevada
and was subsequently convicted of a brutal murder in suburban Philadelphia.
“What we saw in the Bomar case was that the system had a lot of holes
in it, and that dangerous felons were slipping through the cracks of supervision
when transfers were made between states. We
made corrections in our state parole system, and now those changes are being
made on a national level,” Greenleaf said.
The proposed new compact establishes an independent operating authority
with a national governing commission comprised of voting members from member
states and territories. The
commission would make rules for the movement of offenders from state to state,
including the means to identify, track, and control offenders in a uniform
manner. It would establish an
executive committee to direct day-to-day operations of the commission and
provide for dispute resolution between states.
Each member state would create the Council for Adult Offender
Supervision, which would include representatives of all three branches of state
government, along with representation by victims groups.
