BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 526
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 526 (Dickinson)
As Amended January 4, 2012
Majority vote
PUBLIC SAFETY 6-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Ammiano, Knight, Cedillo, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Harkey, |
| |Hagman, Mitchell, Skinner | |Blumenfield, Bradford, |
| | | |Charles Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Chesbro, Donnelly, Gatto, |
| | | |Hall, Hill, Ammiano, |
| | | |Mitchell, Nielsen, Norby, |
| | | |Solorio, Wagner |
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SUMMARY : Mandates the Board of State and Community Corrections
(BSCC) to consolidate grant funds related to gang intervention
and youth crime prevention and create a uniform grant
application process. Specifically, this bill :
1)Mandates the BSCC to identify delinquency and gang
intervention and prevention grants that have the same or
similar program purpose, are allocated to the same entities,
serve the same target populations, and have the same desired
outcomes for the purpose of consolidating grant funds and
programs and moving toward a unified single delinquency
intervention and prevention grant application process.
2)Requires the BSCC to develop incentives for units of local
government to develop comprehensive regional partnerships
whereby adjacent jurisdictions pool grant funds in order to
deliver services to a broader target population and maximize
the impact of state funds at the local level.
3)States that the BSCC shall develop a plan by July 1, 2013, to
ensure that within three years no less than 85% of state gang
intervention and prevention funding is used in juvenile
justice programs that utilize evidence-based programs.
EXISTING LAW :
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1)States that it shall be the duty of the BSCC to collect and
maintain available information and data about state and
community correctional policies, practices, capacities, and
needs, including, but not limited to, prevention,
intervention, suppression, supervision, and incapacitation, as
they relate to both adult corrections, juvenile justice, and
gang problems. The BSCC shall seek to collect and make
publicly available up-to-date data and information reflecting
the impact of state and community correctional, juvenile
justice, and gang-related policies and practices enacted in
the state, as well as information and data concerning
promising and evidence-based practices from other
jurisdictions. (Operative July 1, 2012.)
2)Mandates the BSCC to do the following:
a) Develop recommendations for the improvement of criminal
justice and delinquency and gang prevention activity
throughout the state;
b) Identify, promote, and provide technical assistance
relating to evidence-based programs, practices, and
innovative projects consistent with the mission of the
board;
c) Receive and disburse federal funds, and perform all
necessary and appropriate services in the performance of
its duties as established by federal acts;
d) Develop comprehensive, unified, and orderly procedures
to ensure that applications for grants are processed
fairly, efficiently, and in a manner consistent with the
mission of the board;
e) Cooperate with and render technical assistance to the
Legislature, state agencies, units of general local
government, combinations of those units, or other public or
private agencies, organizations, or institutions in matters
relating to criminal justice and delinquency prevention;
f) Conduct evaluation studies of the programs and
activities assisted by the federal acts;
g) Identify and evaluate state, local, and federal gang and
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youth violence suppression, intervention, and prevention
programs and strategies, along with funding for those
efforts. The BSCC shall assess and make recommendations for
the coordination of the state's programs, strategies, and
funding that address gang and youth violence in a manner
that maximizes the effectiveness and coordination of those
programs, strategies, and resources. The BSCC shall
communicate with local agencies and programs in an effort
to promote the best practices for addressing gang and youth
violence through suppression, intervention, and prevention;
and,
h) Collect from each county the plan submitted for the
implementation of the 2011 public safety realignment within
two months of adoption by the county boards of supervisors.
Commencing January 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, the
BSCC shall collect and analyze available data regarding the
implementation of the local plans and other outcome-based
measures, as defined by the board in consultation with the
Administrative Office of the Courts, the Chief Probation
Officers of California, and the California State Sheriffs
Association. By July 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, the
BSCC shall provide to the Governor and the Legislature a
report on the implementation of the plans described above.
(Operative July 1, 2012.)
3)Provides that the BSCC may do either of the following:
a) Collect, evaluate, publish, and disseminate statistics
and other information on the condition and progress of
criminal justice in the state; or,
b) Perform other functions and duties as required by
federal acts, rules, regulations, or guidelines in acting
as the administrative office of the state planning agency
for distribution of federal grants. (Operative July 1,
2012.)
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor administrative costs for programmatic efforts
consistent with the explicit statutory mission of the BSCC.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "This bill would implement
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the recommendations of the AAR ÝAccountability and
Administrative Review] Committee and the OGYVP ÝOffice of Gang
and Youth Violence Policy]. Specifically, AB 526 requires the
BSCC to: (1) identify delinquency and gang prevention grants
that have similar purposes, targeting similar populations, and
combine them into a unified grant application process; (2)
develop incentives for local agencies to form regional
partnerships and pool their gang intervention and prevention
grant funds; and (3) develop a plan to ensure that within 3
years 85% of state gang intervention/prevention funding
allocated by BSCC be utilized by programs that operate according
to evidenced based practices and principles.
"As of January 1, 2012, the BSCC assumes responsibility of OGYVP
functions. However, BSCC's enabling statute does not address
the need to focus gang intervention/prevention funding on
evidenced based programs, nor streamline the application
process, and encourage regional partnerships. AB 526 would make
clear that these requirements be part of the BSCC grant making
process.
"The AAR Committee and the Select Committee on Delinquency
Prevention and Youth Development have found that the State
spends in excess of $1 billion annually on youth crime
prevention and Juvenile Justice funding, with about 75% of that
money coming from state coffers. Despite these expenditures,
the state has little ability to determine which programs have
been the most effective at preventing youth crime and lowering
recidivism rates among juvenile offenders. Evidenced based
programs, however, have been independently evaluated and proven
to be effective in studies comparing program participants to a
control group, and then replicated by others with similar
successful outcomes. By focusing gang prevention/intervention
funding on such programs, per AB 526 provisions, the state is
more likely to get a better return on its investment.
"Additionally, 17 different state agencies allocate funding to
programs addressing juvenile justice, delinquency and youth
development, but with little coordination and collaboration
among them. The grant process is often duplicated many times
over for applicants, and the many funding silos prevent
achieving program synergies among grant recipients. AB 526 will
initiate consolidating the grant process, beginning with the
BSCC, thereby reducing local frustration in having to file
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multiple grant applications for program with similar objectives,
and utilize program dollars more efficiently and effectively.
Over time, what starts at the BSCC, can be replicated by other
agencies funding juvenile justice programs."
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion
of this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Stella Choe / PUB. S. / (916) 319-3744
FN: 0003042