SB 466, as amended, DeSaulnier. California Institute for Criminal Justice Policy.
Existing law requires the California Law Revision Commission to study, and limits the commission to studying, topics approved by resolution of the Legislature. Existing law requires the commission to examine statutes to discover defects and recommend reforms.
This bill would establish the California Institute for Criminal Justice Policybegin insert for the purpose of facilitating a comprehensive and coordinated approach to delineate effective public safety and justice systems through the use of evidence-based practices, the promulgation of cost-benefit analyses of criminal justice legislation to promulgate a statewide plan for public safety, and the development of strategies based on data and science that reduce recidivism and hold offenders accountableend insert.
This bill would request the University of California to house the institute.begin delete This bill would require the institute to conduct a cost-benefit, evidence-based analysis for each pending legislative measure relating to criminal justice and supply the analysis to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees in the Legislature as soon as practicable and not later than 60 days after receiving a request to produce an analysis from a committee.end delete The bill would become operative after a determination by the Director of the Department of Finance that sufficient private funds have been deposited with the state to fully support the startup and operational activities of the institute for one year, would remain operative upon funding being made available in the annual Budget Act, and would be repealed as of January 1, 2018.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 11480) is
2added to Title 1 of Part 4 of the Penal Code, to read:
3
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
8(a) For the past 30 years, California’s criminal justice system
9has experienced ongoing problems, including dangerous prison
10overcrowding. In 2006, California’s prison population reached
11173,000 inmates, at 202 percent of design capacity. State spending
12on corrections increased by 31 percent in the last decade resulting
13in reduced funding for higher education, health and social services,
14and the courts and local law enforcement.
15(b) Parole reform in 2009 and the 2011 Public Safety
16Realignment significantly reduced prison populations for the first
17time in decades.
Nonetheless, prisons are still over capacity, jail
18expansion is increasing across the state, and too few justice system
19entities have embraced evidence-based practices to increase safety
20and reduce criminal justice costs.
21(c) California needs an independent data-driven institution to
22promulgate best practices in criminal justice and guide the state
23in a transition from a problem-plagued justice system to
24evidence-based practices. A dedicated, independent institute can
25carry out nonpartisan practical research to address the continuing
P3 1issues in the criminal justice system and delineate models for
2effective public safety and justice systems.
3(d) Instituting best practices in the criminal justice system will
4ultimately save the state money through reduced litigation costs.
5A 2010
report by the Inspector General of California found that
6the state paid more than $139 million between 1997 and 2010 in
7litigation costs for 12 major class action cases associated with the
8treatment of inmates and wards in the state. By addressing these
9issues in a comprehensive manner, future lawsuits could be
10avoided, and the costs of the existing ongoing litigation could be
11mitigated.
There is hereby established in the state government
13the California Institute for Criminal Justice Policy.
14The purposes of the institute shall include, but need not be
15limited to, the facilitation of a comprehensive and coordinated
16approach to delineate effective public safety and justice systems
17through the use of evidence-based practices, the promulgation of
18cost-benefit analyses of criminal justice legislation to promulgate
19a statewide plan for public safety, and the development of strategies
20based on data and science that reduce recidivism and hold offenders
21accountable.
The Legislature requests that the University of
23California house the California Institute for Criminal Justice Policy
24to facilitate independent and nonpartisan research on issues related
25to criminal justice and public safety by experts in the University
26of California system and beyond.
(a) The California Institute for Criminal Justice Policy
28shall conduct a cost-benefit analysis for each pending legislative
29measure relating to criminal justice.
30(b) The California Institute for Criminal Justice Policy shall
31include in an analysis a determination of the potential effectiveness
32of the policy based on evidence in the field of criminal justice.
33(c) The California Institute for Criminal Justice Policy shall
34provide that analysis to the appropriate legislative policy and fiscal
35committee as soon as practicable and not later than 60 days after
36receiving a request to produce an analysis from a committee.
(a) This chapter shall become operative only after the
38Director of the Department of Finance determines that private
39funds, in an amount sufficient to fully support the startup and
40operational activities of the California Institute for Criminal Justice
P4 1Policy for one year from the date of implementation, have been
2deposited with the state. If the director determines that sufficient
3funding has been secured to support those activities, he or she shall
4file a written statement with the Secretary of the Senate, the Chief
5Clerk of the Assembly, and the Legislative Counsel memorializing
6thatbegin insert thisend insert determination has been made.
7(b) Once the funds deposited with the state and determined by
8the director to be sufficient to fully support the startup and
9operational activities of the California Institute for Criminal Justice
10Policy for one year from the date of implementation, pursuant to
11subdivision (a), have been expended, this chapter shall remain
12operative upon an appropriation being made in the annual Budget
13Act to implement the purposes, objectives, and operations of the
14California Institute for Criminal Justice Policy.
15(c) This chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2018,
16and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
17is enacted before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends that date.
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