(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except in a case in which the death penalty or a term of life imprisonment is imposed, any sentence for a "no parole offense" as defined in Section 24-13-100 must include any term of incarceration and completion of a community supervision program operated by the Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services. No prisoner who is serving a sentence for a "no parole offense" is eligible to participate in a community supervision program until he has served the minimum period of incarceration as set forth in Section 24-13-150. Nothing in this section may be construed to allow a prisoner convicted of murder or a prisoner prohibited from early release, discharge, or work release by any other provision of law to be eligible for early release, discharge, or work release.

(B) A community supervision program operated by the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services must last no more than two continuous years. The period of time a prisoner is required to participate in a community supervision program and the individual terms and conditions of a prisoner's participation shall be at the discretion of the department based upon guidelines developed by the director; however, the conditions of participation must include the requirement that the offender must permit the search or seizure, without a search warrant, with or without cause, of the offender's person, any vehicle the offender owns or is driving, and any of the offender's possessions by:

(1) any probation agent employed by the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services; or

(2) any other law enforcement officer, but the conditions for participation for an offender who was convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to a Class C misdemeanor or an unclassified misdemeanor that carries a term of imprisonment of not more than one year may not include the requirement that the offender agree to be subject to search or seizure, without a search warrant, with or without cause, of the offender's person, any vehicle the offender owns or is driving, or any of the offender's possessions.

By enacting this provision, the General Assembly intends to provide law enforcement with a means of reducing recidivism and does not authorize law enforcement officers to conduct searches for the sole purpose of harassment. Immediately before each search or seizure pursuant to this subsection, the law enforcement officer seeking to conduct the search or seizure must verify with the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services or by any other means available to the officer that the individual upon whom the search or seizure will be conducted is currently in a community supervision program. A law enforcement officer conducting a search or seizure without a warrant pursuant to this subsection shall report to the law enforcement agency that employs him all of these searches or seizures, which shall include the name, address, age, gender, and race or ethnicity of the person that is the subject of the search or seizure. The law enforcement agency shall submit this information at the end of each month to the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services for review of abuse. A finding of abuse of the use of searches or seizures without a search warrant must be reported by the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services to the State Law Enforcement Division for investigation. If the law enforcement officer fails to report each search or seizure pursuant to this subsection, he is subject to discipline pursuant to the employing agency's policies and procedures.

A prisoner participating in a community supervision program must be supervised by a probation agent of the department. The department must determine when a prisoner completes a community supervision program, violates a term of community supervision, fails to participate in a program satisfactorily, or whether a prisoner should appear before the court for revocation of the community supervision program.

(C) If the department determines that a prisoner has violated a term of the community supervision program and the community supervision should be revoked, a probation agent must initiate a proceeding in General Sessions Court. The proceeding must be initiated pursuant to a warrant or a citation issued by a probation agent setting forth the violations of the community supervision program. The court shall determine whether:

(1) the terms of the community supervision program are fair and reasonable;

(2) the prisoner has complied with the terms of the community supervision program;

(3) the prisoner should continue in the community supervision program under the current terms;

(4) the prisoner should continue in the community supervision program under other terms and conditions as the court considers appropriate;

(5) the prisoner has wilfully violated a term of the community supervision program.

If the court determines that a prisoner has wilfully violated a term or condition of the community supervision program, the court may impose any other terms or conditions considered appropriate and may continue the prisoner on community supervision, or the court may revoke the prisoner's community supervision and impose a sentence of up to one year for violation of the community supervision program. A prisoner who is incarcerated for revocation of the community supervision program is not eligible to earn any type of credits which would reduce the sentence for violation of the community supervision program.

(D) If a prisoner's community supervision is revoked by the court and the court imposes a period of incarceration for the revocation, the prisoner also must complete a community supervision program of up to two years as determined by the department pursuant to subsection (B) when he is released from incarceration.

A prisoner who is sentenced for successive revocations of the community supervision program may be required to serve terms of incarceration for successive revocations, as provided in Section 24-21-560(C), and may be required to serve additional periods of community supervision for successive revocations, as provided in Section 24-21-560(D). The maximum aggregate amount of time a prisoner may be required to serve when sentenced for successive revocations may not exceed an amount of time equal to the length of incarceration imposed limited by the amount of time remaining on the original "no parole offense". The prisoner must not be incarcerated for a period longer than the original sentence. The original term of incarceration does not include any portion of a suspended sentence.

If a prisoner's community supervision is revoked due to a conviction for another offense, the prisoner must complete a community supervision program of up to two continuous years as determined by the department after the prisoner has completed the service of the sentence for the community supervision revocation and any other term of imprisonment which may have been imposed for the criminal offense, except when the subsequent sentence is death or life imprisonment.

(E) A prisoner who successfully completes a community supervision program pursuant to this section has satisfied his sentence and must be discharged from his sentence.

(F) The Department of Corrections must notify the Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services of the projected release date of any inmate serving a sentence for a "no parole offense" one hundred eighty days in advance of his release to community supervision. For an offender sentenced to one hundred eighty days or less, the Department of Corrections immediately must notify the Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services.

(G) Victims registered pursuant to Article 15, Chapter 3, Title 16 and the sheriff's office in the county where a prisoner sentenced for a "no parole offense" is to be released must be notified by the Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services when the prisoner is released to a community supervision program.

HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 83, Section 1; 2010 Act No. 151, Section 11, eff April 28, 2010; 2010 Act No. 237, Section 94, eff June 11, 2010.

Editor's Note

2010 Act No. 151, Sections 2 and 16, provide:

"SECTION 2. It is the intent of the General Assembly of South Carolina to provide law enforcement officers with the statutory authority to reduce recidivism rates of probationers and parolees, apprehend criminals, and protect potential victims from criminal enterprises."

"SECTION 16. In any instance in which a law enforcement officer has failed to make the reports necessary to the State Law Enforcement Division for warrantless searches, then in the absence of a written policy by the employing agency enforcing the reporting requirements, the otherwise applicable state-imposed, one-day suspension without pay applies."

Effect of Amendment

The first 2010 amendment in subsection (B) added the text following "developed by the director" in the second sentence and before the undesignated paragraph following item (2), and made other nonsubstantive changes.

The second 2010 amendment rewrote subsection (D).