Amended in Assembly April 11, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 28, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 8, 2016

Amended in Assembly February 23, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1672

Introduced by Assembly Member Mathis

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Chang and Chávez)

January 15, 2016

An act to add and repeal Section 68530 of the Government Code, relating to courts.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1672, as amended, Mathis. Veterans begin delete and community end delete begin insert treatment end insert courts: Judicial Council begin delete study. end delete begin insert assessment and survey. end insert

Existing law establishes a statewide system of courts with a superior court of one or more judges in each county. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to prescribe the methods, means, and standards for electronic collection of data related to court administration, practice, and procedure.

This bill would require the Judicial Council to begin delete conduct, until January 1, 2018, a study on the impact of veterans courts or veterans treatment courts on veterans involved with the criminal justice system, the impact on veterans of lack of access to veterans courts or veterans treatment courts in those counties that do not have them, the utility of community courts as a substitute for veterans courts or veterans treatment courts, and the use of technology to deliver veterans court services to counties without veterans courts or veterans treatment courts, end delete begin insert assess, on a statewide basis, veterans treatment courts currently in operation, survey counties that do not operate veterans treatment courts to identify barriers to program implementation, and assess the need to establish veterans courts in those counties, as specified, end insert if funds are received for the begin delete study, as specified. end delete begin insert assessment and survey. end insert The bill would require the Judicial Council to report to the Legislature on the results of the begin delete study, end delete begin insert assessment and survey, end insert as specified, on or before June 1, 2019.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 68530 is added to the Government Code,
to read:

68530.  

(a) If the Judicial Council receives funds for the
purpose of implementing this section, the Judicial Council begin delete shall,
commencing on January 1, 2017, and concluding on January 1,
2018, study and assess end delete begin insert shall do all of end insert the following:

begin delete

(1) The impact of veterans courts or veterans treatment courts
on veterans involved with the criminal justice system, including,
but not limited to, the impact on recidivism, mental health,
homelessness, employment, social stability, and substance abuse.

(2) The impact of lack of access to veterans courts or veterans
treatment courts on veterans involved in the criminal justice system
in counties that do not have veterans courts or veterans treatment
courts.

(3) The utility of community courts as a substitute for veterans
courts in counties that do not have veterans courts or veterans
treatment courts.

(4) The use of technology to deliver veterans court services to
counties without veterans courts or veterans treatment courts.

end delete begin insert

(1) Assess, on a statewide basis, veterans treatment courts
currently in operation, including the number of veteran participants
in the program, available services, and program outcomes
including, but not limited to, the number successful program
completions or program terminations. The assessment shall
evaluate the impact of a sample of veterans treatment courts on
participant outcomes, including, but not limited to, program
recidivism, mental health, homelessness, employment, social
stability, and substance abuse.

end insert begin insert

(2) Survey counties that do not operate veterans treatment courts
to identify barriers to program implementation and assess the need
for veterans treatment courts in those jurisdictions based on
available existing veterans services and the estimated number of
veterans involved in the local criminal justice system. The survey
shall identify alternative resources that may be available to
veterans, such as community courts or other collaborative justice
courts.

end insert

(b) On or before June 1, 2019, the Judicial Council shall report
to the Legislature on the results of the begin delete study. end delete begin insert assessment and survey
described in subdivision (a). end insert The report shall include
recommendations regarding the expansion of begin delete veterans court
services end delete begin insert veterans treatment courts end insert to counties without begin delete veterans
courts or end delete veterans treatment begin delete courts, including the end delete begin insert courts and shall
explore the end insert feasibility begin delete and implementation of technology that will
support that expansion. end delete begin insert of designing regional model veterans
treatment courts through the use of service coordination or
technological resources. end insert The report shall be submitted in
compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(c) Fifty percent of the funds required for the begin delete study end delete begin insert assessment,
survey, end insert and report described in this section shall be funded by
private sources, and 50 percent of the funds begin delete required for the study end delete
shall be funded by the state, upon appropriation by the Legislature.

(d) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2020,
and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
is enacted before January 1, 2020, deletes or extends that date.