Senate Bill No. 601

CHAPTER 162

An act to amend Section 3016 of, and to add Section 5055.5 to, the Penal Code, relating to prisons.

[Approved by Governor August 10, 2015. Filed with Secretary of State August 10, 2015.]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 601, Hancock. Corrections: prisons: reports.

Existing law provides that the supervision, management, and control of the state prisons, and the responsibility for the care, custody, treatment, training, discipline, and employment of persons confined therein are vested in the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Existing law requires the Secretary to establish the Case Management Reentry Pilot Program for specified offenders who are likely to benefit from a case management reentry strategy. Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to submit a final report of the findings from its evaluation of the pilot program to the Legislature and the Governor by a specified date.

This bill would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to submit a final report of the findings from its evaluation of the Case Management Reentry Pilot Program to the Legislature and the Governor by no later than July 31, 2017.

The bill would also require the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to develop a Data Dashboard on a quarterly basis containing specified information regarding each institution, including, among other information, the total budget, including actual expenditures, staff vacancies and the number of authorized staff positions, overtime, sick leave, and the number of use of force incidents, and to post those reports on the department’s Internet Web site, as provided.

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

SECTION 1.  

Section 3016 of the Penal Code is amended to read:

3016.  

(a) The Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall establish the Case Management Reentry Pilot Program for offenders under the jurisdiction of the department who have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment under Section 1170 and are likely to benefit from a case management reentry strategy designed to address homelessness, joblessness, mental disorders, and developmental disabilities among offenders transitioning from prison into the community. The purpose of the pilot program is to implement promising and evidence-based practices and strategies that promote improved public safety outcomes for offenders reentering society after serving a term in state prison and while released to parole.

(b) The program shall be initiated in at least three counties over three years, supported by department employees focusing primarily on case management services for eligible parolees selected for the pilot program. Department employees shall be experienced or trained to work as social workers with a parole population. Selection of a parolee for participation in the pilot program does not guarantee the availability of services.

(c) Case management social workers shall assist offenders on parole who are assigned to the program in managing basic needs, including housing, job training and placement, medical and mental health care, and any additional programming or responsibilities attendant to the terms of the offender’s reentry requirements. Case management social workers also shall work closely with offenders to prepare, monitor, revise, and fulfill individualized offender reentry plans consistent with this section during the term of the program.

(d) Individualized offender reentry plans shall focus on connecting offenders to services for which the offender is eligible under existing federal, state, and local rules.

(e) Case management services shall be prioritized for offenders identified as potentially benefiting from assistance with the following:

(1) Food, including the immediate need and long-term planning for obtaining food.

(2) Clothing, including the immediate need to obtain appropriate clothing.

(3) Shelter, including obtaining housing consistent with the goals of the most independent, least restrictive and potentially durable housing in the local community and that are feasible for the circumstances of each reentering offender.

(4) Benefits, including, but not limited to, the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program, general assistance, benefits administered by the federal Social Security Administration, Medi-Cal, and veterans benefits.

(5) Health services, including assisting parolee clients with accessing community mental health, medical, and dental treatment.

(6) Substance abuse services, including assisting parolee clients with obtaining community substance abuse treatment or related 12-step program information and locations.

(7) Income, including developing and implementing a feasible plan to obtain an income and employment reflecting the highest level of work appropriate for a reentering offender’s abilities and experience.

(8) Identification cards, including assisting reentering offenders with obtaining state identification cards.

(9) Life skills, including assisting with the development of skills concerning money management, job interviewing, resume writing, and activities of daily living.

(10) Activities, including working with reentering offenders in choosing and engaging in suitable and productive activities.

(11) Support systems, including working with reentering offenders on developing a support system, which may consist of prosocial friends, family, and community groups and activities, such as religious activities, recovery groups, and other social events.

(12) Academic and vocational programs, including assisting reentering offenders in developing and implementing a realistic plan to achieve an academic education, or vocational training, or both.

(13) Discharge planning, including developing postparole plans to sustain parolees’ achievements and goals to insure long-term community success.

(f) The department shall contract for an evaluation of the pilot program that will assess its effectiveness in reducing recidivism among offenders transitioning from prison into the community.

(g) The department shall submit a final report of the findings from its evaluation of the pilot program to the Legislature and the Governor no later than July 31, 2017.

(h) Implementation of this article is contingent on the availability of funds and the pilot program may be limited in scope or duration based on the availability of funds.

SEC. 2.  

Section 5055.5 is added to the Penal Code, to read:

5055.5.  

(a) The Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall develop a Data Dashboard as described in subdivisions (b) and (c) for each institution on a quarterly basis and post those reports on the department’s Internet Web site. The department shall post both current fiscal-year reports and reports for the immediately preceding three fiscal years for each institution. The department shall also post corrections made to inaccurate or incomplete data to current or previous reports.

(b) Each report shall include a brief biography of the warden, including whether he or she is an acting or permanent warden, and a brief description of the prison, including the total number and level of inmates.

(c) Each report shall be created using the following information already collected using the COMPSTAT (computer assisted statistics) reports for each prison and shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following indicators:

(1) Staff vacancies, overtime, sick leave, and number of authorized staff positions.

(2) Rehabilitation programs, including enrollment capacity, actual enrollment, and diploma and GED completion rate.

(3) Number of deaths, specifying homicides, suicides, unexpected deaths, and expected deaths.

(4) Number of use of force incidents.

(5) Number of inmate appeals, including the number being processed, overdue, dismissed, and upheld.

(6) Number of inmates in administrative segregation.

(7) Total contraband seized, specifying the number of cellular telephones and drugs.

(d) Each report shall also include the following information, which is not currently collected or displayed by COMPSTAT:

(1) Total budget, including actual expenditures.

(2) Number of days in lockdown.



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