BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 343
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 30, 2015
Counsel: Sandy Uribe
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
Bill Quirk, Chair
SB
343 (Hancock) - As Amended June 1, 2015
SUMMARY: Requires the California Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation (CDCR) to strongly consider the use of libraries
and librarians in its literacy programs. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Requires CDCR, in complying with its goals to reduce
illiteracy, to give strong consideration to the use of
libraries and librarians in its prison literacy programs.
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2)Repeals provisions of law concerning the fiscal formula for
supporting the academic education program for inmates.
3)Includes the completion of a community college or four-year
academic degree by an inmate in the existing requirement that
CDCR incentivize inmate participation in educational
programming.
EXISTING LAW:
4)Requires CDCR to implement literacy programs designed to
ensure that upon release inmates are able to achieve specified
goals, such as, increasing reading levels to at least a
ninth-grade level, obtaining a general education development
certificate or its equivalent, or a high school diploma.
(Pen. Code, § 2053.1.)
5)Requires CDCR, in complying with its goals to reduce
illiteracy, to give strong consideration to computer-assisted
training. (Pen. Code, § 2053.1.)
6)Provides for $40 per inmate for each fiscal year to be
provided, upon appropriation, to CDCR to support academic
programs for inmates. (Pen. Code, § 2054, subd. (d).)
7)Specifies proportional increases or decreases to the funding
level in relation to median salaries for full-time high school
teachers. (Pen. Code, § 2054.1.)
8)Requires CDCR to determine and implement a system of
incentives to increase inmate participation in academic and
vocational education. (Pen. Code, § 2054.2.)
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FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
1)Author's Statement: According to the author, "SB 343 requires
the CDCR to strongly consider integrating its libraries and
correctional librarians into the department's prisoner
literacy program. Prison libraries foster literacy,
self-improvement, insight, pro-social behavior, the ability to
navigate an information age society and provide valuable
parole planning resources."
2)Educational Programs in Prisons: According to the CDCR
Website, "As part of CDCR's Division of Rehabilitative
Programs, the Office of Correctional Education (OCE) offers
various academic and education programs at each of
California's adult state prisons. The goal of OCE is to
provide offenders with needed education and career training as
part of a broader CDCR effort to increase public safety and
reduce recidivism."
(.)
One of the services offered through the OCE is library services.
The CDCR Website states the following in regard to its
library services: "Library services are offered at all
institutions, and provide inmates with an extensive collection
of recreational fiction and non-fiction books as well as
reference reading materials; e.g. selected periodicals,
encyclopedias, selected Career Technical Education and College
level textbooks, and basic literacy materials recommended by
the American Library Association and the American Correctional
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Association. Additionally, institution libraries provide
legal research materials, as required by the courts, along
with rehabilitative support services which include resources
on employment, community reentry, and life skills."
(< http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/rehabilitation/library-services.html >.
)
3)California Rehabilitation Oversight Board (C-ROB)
Recommendations: C-ROB is required to regularly examine and
annually report to the Governor and the Legislature regarding
rehabilitative programming provided to inmates and parolees by
CDCR. (Pen. Code, § 6141.) In its last report issued
September 2014, C-ROB noted the following regarding CDCR
libraries:
"The current vacancy rate for CDCR librarians is approximately
25 percent. Libraries are a fundamental program support area
for literacy, reentry resources, continuing education,
tutoring, legal research, and recreational reading. Many
librarians from non-reentry institutions have independently
created reentry binders for inmates containing information on
housing, employments, social services agencies, family
services, and other reentry information specific to counties
in California. Not all institutions offer this type of
service, yet inmates are released from non-reentry
institutions on a regular basis. Libraries are a logical
nexus to find information specific to the county the inmate
will be released, regardless of whether the inmate is released
under county supervision or assigned to a parole agent.
(Sept. 15, 2014 Annual Report, p. 13,
.) The C-ROB report noted that there
were 87 budgeted librarian positions, but only 68 filled.
(Id. at p. 40.) C-ROB recommended that CDCR "develop a
strategy to address the chronic staffing shortages of CDCR
librarians across the state." (Ibid.) "The strategy should
address recruitment and retention of qualified librarians and
plans to increase librarian positions to provide access to
library programs." (Ibid.)
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4)Argument in Support: According to SEIU Local 1000, the
sponsor of this bill, "This bill recognizes the role of
librarians in literacy and reintegration activities that are
taking place in prisons and includes libraries as a location
where these activities occur. This helps inmates recognize
that upon release, they can use public libraries as a resource
for finding jobs and medical care through the use of their
publicly available computers. Librarians also work with
inmates to make tapes or videos of the prisoner reading
stories to their children that can be mailed home for them,
and thus continue a family bond that can be critical for
reintegration in the family when they return to civilian life.
Libraries are already doing this work, but without
recognition as a part of the staff that rehabilitates
prisoners."
5)Prior Legislation: SB 1391 (Hancock), Chapter 695, Statutes
of 2014, allows California Community Colleges to receive full
funding for credit-course instruction offered in correctional
institutions and seeks to expand the offering of such courses.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
SEIU Local 1000 (Sponsor)
SB 343
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California Public Defenders Association
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Opposition
None
Analysis Prepared by:Sandy Uribe / PUB. S. / (916)
319-3744