The bill originally required the state to develop "re-entry" plans for convicted felons. It was picked up by the state Department of Correction, which included plans for unified assessments intended to replace a currently fractured system where different agencies have a multitude of assessments that sometimes are based on less-than-objective criteria, officials said.

"It gives the department and the (state) Board of Pardons and Paroles the same basis for determining needs and risks posed by offenders," Department of Correction Commissioner George Little said. "That's a big step forward for us."