By Mitch Ryals

Published in The Inlander on November 17, 2015

“Washington state’s community supervision program is one area of the criminal justice system where those who enforce violations were allowed a fair amount of discretion.

“In 2012, a new law stripped officers of their discretion by requiring at least one to three days in jail for low-level violations such as missing a check-in appointment or failing a drug test. The new policies, known as Swift and Certain, also adjusted punishment to be more proportional to the violation. These policies, which went into effect in May 2012, had never before been implemented on a statewide level. ”

Read more: Changes to community supervision in Washington state are reducing recidivism and saving money