BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 601 Page 1 Date of Hearing: July 8, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair SB 601 (Hancock) - As Amended April 20, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy | Public Safety |Vote:| 7 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill requires the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to develop a Data Dashboard, and post those reports on the CDCR's web page on a quarterly basis, containing specified information regarding each SB 601 Page 2 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 average length of lockdowns, number of inmates, total contraband seized, information about the warden, and use of force incidents. FISCAL EFFECT: Minor absorbable costs to CDCR to publish the required information, CDCR currently collects almost all the information required in this bill. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. According to the author, "SB 601 establishes a framework for providing better public access to key information about the performance of California's prison system by displaying a user friendly quarterly report on the CDCR webpage." SB 601 intends to develop an accessible quarterly report that highlights management and performance of each state prison for legislative use. By requiring the Secretary of the CDCR to repackage the data to post online, the public and the Legislature could hold the department accountable for the overall management of the correctional facility, including administrative services, expenditures, safety and security, and program and support services." 2)Background. Comstat (short for "computer statistics") is an organizational management tool modeled after the Los Angeles and the New York Police Departments to monitor and reduce SB 601 Page 3 crimes and is easily accessible to the public. In 2006, the CDCR designed and implemented Compstat to monitor and provide operational review of prisons, parole, and CDCR as a whole. As part of Governor Schwarzenegger's government transparency efforts in 2009, the Compstat reports were moved from the CDCR's Web site and made available on the Reporting Transparency in Government's Web site; however, the Compstat reports and audits are hard for the public to find and view among the thicket of reports on that site. In addition, the Compstat audits and reports are non-descriptive and difficult to understand. This bill is intended to make Comstat information more readily accessible and easier to understand. 3)Argument in Support: According to Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, "SB 601's 'data dashboard' would provide a much more accurate picture of CDCR policy and procedure to lawmakers. Further, by requiring the CDCR to publish the 'data dashboard' on their website on a quarterly basis, SB 601 involves the general public and establishes a more meaningful system of accountability within California's correctional system. By increasing the ability of the public, lawmakers, and the Governor to each hold the CDCR accountable for the performance of correctional programs, SB 601's 'data dashboard' will ultimately allow for more responsible policy and more effective reform to follow." 4)Prior Legislation: SB 601 (Hancock) of the 2011-2012 Legislative Session, which was vetoed, would have required the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to develop a Corrections Accountability Report on January 10, March 15, and a fiscal year-end report, 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 average length of lockdowns, and to post those reports on the department's Internet website. In his veto message, the Governor stated, "This measure is SB 601 Page 4 unnecessary and redundant; existing law already requires the Department to provide this information. I am happy to work with the author on ways the Department could better organize its website, but I don't think this takes a law." Analysis Prepared by:Pedro R. Reyes / APPR. / (916) 319-2081