BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 205 (Beall) - Proposition 47: evaluation study
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|Version: April 9, 2015 |Policy Vote: PUB. S. 7 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: May 11, 2015 |Consultant: Jolie Onodera |
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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
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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."
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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).
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