Senate Bill No. 621

Introduced by Senator Hertzberg

February 27, 2015

An act to amend Section 6045.4 of the Penal Code, relating to mentally ill criminal offenders.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 621, as introduced, Hertzberg. Mentally ill offender crime reduction grants.

Existing law requires the Board of State and Community Corrections to administer mentally ill offender crime reduction grants on a competitive basis to counties that expand or establish a continuum of timely and effective responses to reduce crime and criminal justice costs related to mentally ill juvenile and adult offenders. Existing law requires an application for a mentally ill offender crime reduction grant to describe a 4-year plan for the programs, services, or strategies to be provided under the grant, and authorizes the funds from a mentally ill offender crime reduction grant to be used to fund specialized alternative custody programs that offer appropriate mental health and treatment services.

This bill would additionally authorize the funds from a mentally ill offender crime reduction grant to be used to fund specialized diversion programs that offer appropriate mental health and treatment services.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

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

SECTION 1.  

Section 6045.4 of the Penal Code is amended to
read:

6045.4.  

(a) The application submitted by a county shall
describe a four-year plan for the programs, services, or strategies
to be provided under the grant. The board shall award grants that
provide funding for three years. Funding shall be used to
supplement, rather than supplant, funding for existing programs.
Funds may be used to fund specialized alternative custody begin insert and
diversion end insert programs that offer appropriate mental health treatment
and services.

(b) A grant shall not be awarded unless the applicant makes
available resources in accordance with the instructions of the board
in an amount equal to at least 25 percent of the amount of the grant.
Resources may include in-kind contributions from participating
agencies.

(c) In awarding grants, priority or preference shall be given to
those grant applications that include documented match funding
that exceeds 25 percent of the total grant amount.