BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



          SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                             Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
                            2015 - 2016  Regular  Session

          SB 205 (Beall) - Proposition 47:  evaluation study
          
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |                                                                 |
          |                                                                 |
          |                                                                 |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
          |                                |                                |
          |Version: April 9, 2015          |Policy Vote: PUB. S. 7 - 0      |
          |                                |                                |
          |--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
          |                                |                                |
          |Urgency: No                     |Mandate: No                     |
          |                                |                                |
          |--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
          |                                |                                |
          |Hearing Date: May 11, 2015      |Consultant: Jolie Onodera       |
          |                                |                                |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 


          This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.




          Bill  
          Summary:  SB 205 would require the Department of Finance (DOF)  
          to contract with a university to conduct a four-year evaluation  
          of Proposition 47, as specified. This bill would also require  
          the Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect data concerning  
          incarceration changes prompted by the initiative and recidivism  
          data for offenders resentenced pursuant to Proposition 47.


          Fiscal  
          Impact:  
            Contracted study  :  One-time costs potentially in excess of $2  
            million (General Fund) over four years to contract with a  
            university for the mandated evaluation. This estimate is based  
            on an annual cost of $500,000 per year. 
            DOJ data collection  :  Potentially significant one-time costs  
            of approximately $500,000 (General Fund) to collect, compile,  
            and enable access to the specified data. Ongoing workload  







          SB 205 (Beall)                                         Page 1 of  
          ?
          
          
            costs of about $100,000 (General Fund).


          Background:  Current law reflects the provisions of Proposition 47, also  
          known as the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, which was  
          approved by the voters in November 2014. Proposition 47 reduced  
          the penalties for certain drug and property crimes and directed  
          that the resulting state savings be directed to mental health  
          and substance abuse treatment, truancy and dropout prevention,  
          and victims' services, as specified. The initiative also made  
          additional changes to criminal laws. 
          Current law, as enacted by Proposition 47, requires that by  
          August 15 of each fiscal year beginning in 2016, the Controller  
          disburse moneys deposited in the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools  
          Fund (SNSF) according to specified allocations: 
                 25 percent to the Department of Education, to administer  
               a grant program to public agencies aimed at improving  
               outcomes for public school pupils in kindergarten and  
               grades 1 to 12, inclusive, by reducing truancy and  
               supporting students who are at risk of dropping out of  
               school or are victims of crime. 
                 10 percent to the California Victim Compensation and  
               Government Claims Board, to make grants to trauma recovery  
               centers to provide services to victims of crime, as  
               specified. 
                 65 percent to the Board of State and Community  
               Corrections (BSCC), to administer a grant program to public  
               agencies aimed at supporting mental health treatment,  
               substance abuse treatment, and diversion programs for  
               people in the criminal justice system, with an emphasis on  
               programs that reduce recidivism of people convicted of less  
               serious crimes, as specified, and those who have substance  
               abuse and mental health problems. (Government Code §  
               7599.2(a).) 

          In its report, The 2015-16 Budget: Implementation of Proposition  
          47, the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) noted the need for an  
          evaluation of data and outcomes in order to ensure that SNSF  
          dollars are being used effectively, stating, "This would serve  
          two major purposes. First, it would ensure that programs are  
          achieving the intended recidivism reduction goals in a  
          cost-effective manner. Second, it would allow programs that have  
          not previously been proven to reduce recidivism cost-effectively  
          to demonstrate their ability to do so." 








          SB 205 (Beall)                                         Page 2 of  
          ?
          
          

          Proposed Law:  This bill:
                 Requires DOF to select a public or private university  
               through a competitive process to conduct a four -year  
               evaluation assessing the process, outcomes, and costs of  
               Proposition 47, including the number and characteristics of  
               participants served by programs funded with grant moneys  
               from the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund. 
                  o         Requires the selected university to report to  
                    the Legislature, no later than January 1, 2017, and  
                    annually by that date for the following three years. 
                  o         Requires that all data collected for the  
                    report be made publically available. 
                 Requires the DOJ to gather and compile information  
               regarding the number of people released from state prisons  
               and county jails pursuant to the provisions of Proposition  
               47 and the number of people released who are rearrested or  
               reincarcerated within three years as compared to similar  
               populations in the criminal justice system.
                  o         Requires this information to be made available  
                    upon request to the public and to the university  
                    selected to conduct the study. 


          Related  
          Legislation:  None applicable.


          Staff  
          Comments:  The DOF has indicated potential costs of at least  
          $500,000 annually based on the experience of other state  
          agencies that have contracted with universities to do similar  
          studies.

          To the extent automation enhancements are necessary, the DOJ  
          would incur potentially significant one-time costs of  
          approximately $500,000 to collect, compile, and enable access to  
          the specified data. Ongoing workload costs are estimated at  
          about $100,000 (General Fund).


                                      -- END --

          








          SB 205 (Beall)                                         Page 3 of  
          ?