By Todd Hatton
Murray, KY – A state report on parole practices cites a collaborative effort between the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole and the state Correction Department as an effective way to assess the needs of offenders when resources are limited by budget restraints. The report notes the focus of the departments' Joint Offender Management Plan in 2009 was to reduce correctional costs to the state, "particularly through reducing parole and probation revocations." To do that, funds were shifted from the Department of Correction to the Board of Probation and Parole to support treatment interventions in the community through a network developed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. Officials say the overall collaboration saved the state $33 million within its first year.