BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 519|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 519
Author: Hancock (D)
Amended: 9/4/15
Vote: 21
PRIOR SENATE VOTES NOT RELEVANT
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 64-14, 9/8/15 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Youth offender parole hearings
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill requires the Board of Parole Hearings (BPH)
to complete all youthful offender parole hearings by specified
dates if SB 261 (Hancock) is signed into law.
Assembly Amendments delete the version of this bill that was
heard in the Senate and replace it with clean-up language that
extends the dates by which BPH must complete all youthful parole
hearings that will be added if SB 261( Hancock) is signed into
law.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes a youth offender parole hearing which is a hearing
by the BPH for the purpose of reviewing the parole suitability
of any prisoner who was under 18 years of age at the time of
his or her controlling offense.
2)Provides the following parole mechanism for a person who was
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convicted of a controlling offense that was committed before
the person had attained 18 years of age:
a) If the controlling offense was a determinate sentence
the offender shall be eligible for release after 15 years;
b) If the controlling offense was a life term less than 25
years then the person is eligible for release after 20
years; and,
c) If the controlling offense was a life term of 25 years
to life then the person is eligible for release after 25
years.
3)Sets a deadline of July 1, 2015, for BPH to complete all youth
offender parole hearings for individuals who become entitled
to have their parole suitability considered at a youth
offender parole hearing on the effective date of the statute
that established youth offender parole hearings.
4)Provides that in reviewing a prisoner's suitability for parole
in a youthful offender parole hearing, the BPH shall give
great weight to the diminished culpability of juveniles as
compared to adults, the hallmark features of youth, and any
subsequent growth and increased maturity of the prisoner in
accordance with relevant case law.
This bill:
1)Requires the BPH to complete all youthful offender parole
hearings for eligible individuals serving indeterminate life
terms by January 1, 2018.
2)Requires the BPH to complete all youthful offender parole
hearings for eligible individuals serving determinate terms by
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December 31, 2021, and to conduct requisite consultations by
January 1, 2018.
3)Makes these provisions operative contingent upon the enactment
of SB 261 (Hancock, 2015), which expands the youth offender
parole process.
Comments
According to the author, "SB 519 is a technical cleanup bill for
SB 261 by Senator Hancock, which was approved by the Assembly on
a bipartisan vote. The Administration has some concerns with
the implementation deadlines in that bill.
"SB 519 addresses the Administration's concern by adding an
additional six months to that bill's deadlines."
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
Unknown with latest amendments.
SUPPORT: (Verified 9/8/15)
None received
OPPOSITION: (Verified 9/8/15)
None received
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 64-14, 9/8/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown, Burke,
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh,
Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia,
Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley,
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Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine,
Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, McCarty, Medina, Mullin,
Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Perea, Quirk, Rendon,
Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark
Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams,
Wood, Atkins
NOES: Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Brough, Chang, Dahle, Beth
Gaines, Gallagher, Harper, Lackey, Linder, Mayes, Melendez,
Patterson
NO VOTE RECORDED: Chávez, Kim
Prepared by:Mary Kennedy / PUB. S. /
9/8/15 21:55:23
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