EXiT Policy Aim 3

Louisiana (2017)

In Louisiana, a 2017 criminal justice reform package signed by Governor John Bel Edwards reduced maximum probation terms for nonviolent crimes from five to three years and eliminated the one-year minimum for all probation sentences (The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2018b). As a result of this reform, the Louisiana Department of Corrections and the Justice Reinvestment Task Force project a 12 percent decrease in the state’s supervised population by 2027, reducing average caseload sizes from 139 to 119 cases per officer (Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force, 2017).

Delaware

Delaware has a 2-year cap on probation terms for violent felonies, with 18-month or 12-month limits for all other offenses. 

California (2020)

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1950 in September 2020, which caps probation terms to a maximum of one year for misdemeanor offenses and two years for felonies (Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, 2020). At least 3 other states (DE, IN, and ME) limit misdemeanor probation terms to one year, and an additional 16 states impose a 2-year limit (The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2020b).

Michigan (2021)

On January 4, 2021, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of criminal justice reforms that included a reduction of the maximum adult felony probation sentence from five to three years.

Georgia (2017)

In 2017, Georgia reformed its felony probation system through SB 174, which set a two-year maximum on active supervision for felony probation terms. Between 2017 and 2018, the state saw average probation caseload sizes decrease by nearly 25 percent. At least three additional states (DE, OK, and CA) limit felony probationary periods to two years (The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2020b).

Connecticut

In Connecticut, for probation terms over two years, state law requires the probation agent to submit a report to the court after 18 months “concerning whether the probationer should be discharged at the two-year mark (American Law Institute 2017).