State laws vary on who can arrest and when the arrest can occur for violations of community supervision.
When an offender commits a technical violation (i.e. violates the terms of their community supervision) their probation/parole officer will report the violation to the probation and parole board. Depending on the violation, the board may issue a warrant for the offender’s arrest. Four states allow only a probation/parole officer to arrest an offender for a technical violation (Figure 1). Sixteen states allow law enforcement officers to arrest an offender under community supervision if there is a warrant for their arrest.
Not all states require a warrant to arrest an offender for technical violations. Eight states allow law enforcement officers to arrest an offender for technical violations without a warrant. Thirteen states allow a law enforcement officer to arrest an offender for technical violations without a warrant if they have been requested to do so by an individual from the community supervision department.
How law enforcement officers access conditions of an offender's community supervision varies by state. In CA, each county has its own communication system, and local information sharing policies determine whether conditions of supervision are shared with law enforcement (CPOC 2012).
Figure 1. Map of the officers allowed to arrest an offender under community supervision for technical violations. Go to the PDF for clickable links on the states to be taken to the state statute or see works cited below.
Parole Revocation. Alabama Admin. Code r. 640-X-9.03 (2020)
https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/alabama/Ala-Admin-Code-r-640-X-9-.03
Arrest of parole violator. Alaska Statutes 33.16.240 (2023)
https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp#33.16.240
Execution of warrant to take paroled prisoner or offender on community supervision: expenses. Arizona Revised Statutes. 31-416
https://www.azleg.gov/viewdocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/ars/31/00416.htm
General Provisions. California Penal Code. 3000.08
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=3000.08
Chief Probation Officers of California. (2012, 9 18). CPOC positions statement on information sharing with law enforcement.
Retrieved from CPOC: https://www.cpoc.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/cpoc_statement_on_info_sharing-final.pdf?1501699283
Arrest of parolee – revocation proceedings. Colorado Revised Statutes Annotated. 17-2-103
Special parole. Conditions. Duration. Violation. Hearing. Disposition. Connecticut General Statutes. 54-125e
https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_961.htm#sec_54-125e
Arrest for violation of conditions; subsequent disposition. 11 Delaware Code § 4334
https://delcode.delaware.gov/title11/c043/sc03/index.html
Authority to arrest parole violators with or without a warrant. XLVII Florida Statutes § 947.22 (2023)
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2023/0947.22
Arrest of parolee or conditional release violator. 42 Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 9-48
Summons or arrest of defendant on probation; commitment without bail. 14 Hawai’i Revised Statutes §706-626 (2023)
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol14_Ch0701-0853/HRS0706/HRS_0706-0626.htm
Arrest of parolee, probationer or person under drug court or mental health court supervision without warrant – agent’s warrant –
detention – report to commission or court. 20 Idaho Statutes §227 https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title20/T20CH2/SECT20-227/
Supervision on parole, mandatory supervised release and release by statute. 730 Illinois Code of Statutes §3-14-2
https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/073000050K3-14-2.htm
Violation of parole; procedures. 11 Indiana Code §13-3-8 (2023).
https://iga.in.gov/laws/2023/ic/titles/11#11-13-3-8
Parole officer may arrest parolee or person subject to postincarceration supervision, when – detention –
report to commissioner – return of prisoner to prison – prisoner for whose return a warrant has been issued to be deemed a fugitive from justice –
effect of violation of parole. XL Kentucky Revised Statutes §439.430 (2011). https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=39612
Parole officers; powers of arrest; summary arrest and detention of parolees. 15 Louisiana Revised Statutes §574.8
Violations of parole. 34-A Maine Revised Statutes §5806
https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/34-A/title34-Asec5806.html
Revocation of release and detention order following violation of release conditions. II Massachusetts General Laws §276.58B https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleII/Chapter276/Section58B
Arrest, restraint and detention of parolees and probations. Michigan Department of Corrections Policy Directive 06.01.120 (2015)
Commissioner of Corrections; powers, limitations. 243 Minnesota Statutes §05
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/243.05
Revocation of probation or post-release supervision. 47 Mississippi Code 1972 Annotated §7-37.1. (2015).
Arrest of person paroled or on conditional release – report – procedure – revocation of parole or release –
effect of sentence – arrest of parolee from another state. XIII Revisor of Missouri §217.720 (2018). https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=217.720
Parolee; violation of parole; parole officer; administrative sanction; report to Board of Parole; action of board.
83 Nebraska Revised Statute §1,119 https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=83-1,119
Arrest of alleged violator of parole: powers and duties of peace officers. 213 Nevada Revised Statutes §151
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-213.html#NRS213Sec151
Violation of the Terms of Probation or Parole. LI New Hampshire Statutes §504-A:4 (2013).
https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/LI/504-A/504-A-4.htm
Parole violation; apprehension; hearing. 30 New Jersey Statutes §4-123.62 (2023).
https://www.lawserver.com/law/state/new-jersey/nj-laws/new_jersey_laws_30_4-123-62
Return of parole violator. 31 New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978 §21-14
Notice to appear, warrant. L The Laws of New York §410.40 (2019).
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CPL/410.40
Arrest and hearing on parole violation. 85 North Carolina General Statutes §15A – 1376
https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/ByArticle/Chapter_15a/Article_85.pdf
Arrest of parolees without warrant. 23 Ohio Revised Code §2301.31 (2002).
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2301.31
Performance by Department of Corrections staff of duties of parole and probation officers appointed by judge.
4 Oregon Revised Statutes §14-137.610 https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_137.610
Revocation of parole – hearing. 13 Rhode Island General Laws §8-18.
https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE13/13-8/13-8-18.htm
Arrest for violation of terms of probation; bond. 24 South Carolina Code of Laws Unannotated §21-450.
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t24c021.php
Warrant to arrest parolee or inmate- suspension of parole supervision time – time credited. 24 South Dakota Codified Laws §15-21
https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/24-15-21
Revocation of Parole. Tennessee Code Annotated §1100-01-01-.14
https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/rules/1100/1100-01-01.20221019.pdf
Violation of conditions of community supervision; detention and hearing. Texas Statutes Code of Criminal Procedure §42A.751. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.42A.htm#42A.751
Violation of parole or probation – detention-hearing. 64 Utah Code §13-29 (2024).
https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title64/Chapter13/64-13-S29.html
Issuance of warrant; arrest without a warrant; confinement pending hearing; authority of correctional officers and law enforcement officers.
28 The Vermont Statutes Online §7.4.551 https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/28/007
Arrest of parolee or felon serving a period of postrelease supervision without warrant; written statement. Code of Virginia §53.1-162 https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title53.1/chapter4/article3/
Violation of probation-rearrest-imprisonment. 9 Revised Code of Washington §95.220.
https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9.95.220
62 West Virgina Code §12-19
https://code.wvlegislature.gov/62-12-19/
Contents of demand. 7 Wyoming Statutes §3-205
