There is hereby created in the division of parole and community services of the department of rehabilitation and correction at bureau level an adult parole authority. The adult parole authority consists of its chief, a field services section, and a parole board. The director of rehabilitation and correction shall appoint the chief of the adult parole authority, one or more superintendents of the field services section, and the chairperson of the parole board, all of whom shall serve at the pleasure of the director and shall be in the unclassified civil service.
The authority is a regular administrative unit of the department of rehabilitation and correction and shall operate under rules adopted by the director. The chief of the division of parole and community services may adopt supplemental rules governing operation of the authority, assigning specific powers and duties to the chief of the authority, and assigning specific functions to sections within the authority.
No person shall be appointed as chief of the adult parole authority who is not qualified by education or experience in correctional work, including law enforcement, probation, or parole, in law, in social work, or in a combination of the three categories.