MISSOURI -- A new law in Missouri that goes into effect Tuesday helps people who are on probation.  It has three different components.

First, it gives earned compliance credit to people who are successful in completing probation.

For every 30 days they do well on probation, they receive a 30 day credit, but this is also based on the judge’s discretion.

Kirksville attorney Benjamin Gray said it's good motivation.

 “It gives them an incentive for people to be on good behavior so that if they are on good behavior they can potentially complete their probation in much less time than before, “said Gray.

Second, according to Gray, it allows for probation officers to put a person in jail for a short period of time without a hearing.

And lastly, if a person violates their probation, the new law makes it mandatory that the judge give them 120 days of shock incarceration.  The judge can not revoke probation until after the shock incarceration.

Gray said this is only available for people who have committed Class C or D felonies, and drug offenders.

There’s also a new law that punishes those who choose to disrupt a church service. It makes it a crime to disturb, interrupt or disquiet a church.  It also makes it a crime to injure, intimidate, or interfere with someone trying to worship.

“This seems to me to be a curious statute because all of those things I would think already to be covered by either the harassment statute, the assault statute, or disturbing the peace,” Gray said.      

There’s a pending federal lawsuit claiming the law infringes on free-speech rights.