(a) A community punishment and corrections plan shall be developed and submitted to the department which sufficiently documents the local need and support for the proposed program. The community punishment and corrections plan shall have the approval of the county commission in the affected counties prior to submission to the department. Any plan shall specifically state the maximum number of inmates eligible to participate in the program.

(b) The format for any community punishment and corrections plan shall be specified by the division in its application process and procedures. Funding and grant evaluation criteria shall be outlined in the application process and procedures to be developed by the division in order that each applicant may know the basis upon which funds will be granted. The department shall adopt rules pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act outlining the application process and procedures.

(c) The application process and procedures should include a performance-based reimbursement funding plan, developed by the department, for funding community punishment and corrections plans that utilize evidence-based practices as defined in Section 12-25-32 in the treatment and supervision of community punishment and corrections program participants and that meet specified treatment and supervision targets as outlined in the application. The performance-based reimbursement plan outlined in the application process and procedures should also include higher reimbursement rates for community punishment and corrections plans that include behavioral health assessment and treatment referral, to include behavioral and substance abuse treatment, for community punishment and corrections program participants, as well as for local probationers and parolees under the supervision of the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The Department of Corrections, along with the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Mental Health, shall collaborate with the Office of the Governor to implement the provisions of this subsection relating to behavioral health treatment and substance abuse treatment services. The Office of the Governor shall ensure that treatment services that receive funding from the state or through court-ordered monies utilize such funding and monies for programs reasonably expected to reduce recidivism among community corrections offenders.

(d) The application process and procedures should include a requirement that each community punishment and corrections plan establish guidelines to ensure that the supervision and treatment of offenders participating in a community punishment and corrections program is, to the extent practicable, individualized based on the offender's risk of reoffending, as determined through a validated risk and needs assessment as defined in Section 12-25-32, administered by the community punishment and corrections program, and that treatment and supervision resources, as well as behavioral health assessment and treatment referral services, are, within the resources available, prioritized based on those offenders who have the highest risk of reoffending. The plan shall include a list of services available for veterans and, servicemen, and, when appropriate, shall include any Veterans Treatment Court in operation in the appropriate county or circuit as a possible alternative for mentoring and supervision.

(e) Participation in the programs set forth in this article is voluntary. Any participating authority, county commission, or other nonprofit entity may notify the director of the division of its intention to withdraw from participation in the community punishment and corrections program contract. The withdrawal will become effective on the last day of the grant year.