BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 621
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SENATE THIRD READING
SB
621 (Hertzberg)
As Introduced February 27, 2015
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 40-0
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Public Safety |7-0 |Quirk, Melendez, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Jones-Sawyer, Lackey, | |
| | |Lopez, Low, Santiago | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bloom, Bonta, | |
| | |Calderon, Chang, | |
| | |Nazarian, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, Rendon, | |
| | |Wagner, Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
SB 621
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SUMMARY: Authorizes the funds from Mentally Ill Offender Crime
Reduction Program to be used for diversion programs that offer
appropriate mental health and treatment services.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes the Board of State and Community Corrections
(BSCC) commencing July 1, 2012.
2)States that the mission of the BSCC includes providing
statewide leadership, coordination, and technical assistance
to promote effective state and local efforts and partnerships
in California's adult and juvenile criminal justice system,
including addressing gang problems. This mission shall
reflect the principle of aligning fiscal policy and
correctional practices, including, but not limited to
prevention, intervention, suppression, supervision, and
incapacitation, to promote a justice investment strategy that
fits each county and is consistent with the integrated
statewide goal of improved public safety through
cost-effective, promising, and evidence-based strategies for
managing criminal justice populations.
3)Requires the BSCC 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 offenders.
4)Specifies that the grants must be divided equally between
adult and juvenile mentally ill offender crime reduction
SB 621
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grants, and requires the grants to support prevention,
intervention, supervision, and incarceration-based services
and strategies to reduce recidivism and to improve outcomes
for mentally ill juvenile and adult offenders.
5)Defines "mentally ill offenders" for purposes of the grant
program as seriously emotionally disturbed children or
adolescents; adults who have a serious mental disorder; and,
adults who require or are at risk of requiring acute
psychiatric inpatient care, residential treatment, or
outpatient crisis intervention because of a mental disorder
with symptoms of psychosis, suicidality, or violence.
6)Requires the BSCC to establish minimum requirements, funding
criteria, and procedures for awarding grants.
7)Provides that an "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 programs that offer appropriate mental
health treatment and services."
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Major future cost pressure to the BSCC in the millions of
dollars (General Fund/Special Fund) to the extent adding
diversion programs as an authorized use of Mentally Ill
Offender Crime Reduction (MIOCR) grant funds results in
additional funding appropriated and subsequently awarded for
these programs.
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2)To the extent the level of existing MIOCR grant funding
remains unchanged or decreases in future years, expanding the
authorized use of funds could result in a shift of grant
awards to diversion programs, thereby reducing available grant
funding for alternative custody programs. The Budget Act of
2014 included $18 million appropriation for the MIOCR grant
program, but the Budget Act of 2015 only appropriated $1.7
million; both appropriations are for three year grants.
COMMENTS: According to the author, "The Mentally Ill Offender
Crime Reduction Grant Program supports the implementation and
evaluation of locally developed demonstration projects designed
to reduce recidivism among persons with mental illness.
"The MIOCR Grant Program recognizes the cooperation between law
enforcement, corrections, mental health, and other agencies is
critical to improve California's response to mentally ill
offenders. Projects are to be collaborative and address locally
identified gaps in jail and community-based services for persons
with a serious mental illness.
"In an effort to reinvest in treatment and prevention at the
local level, SB 621 promotes cost-effective approaches to meet
the long-term needs of adults and juveniles with mental
disorders who are offenders. This bill will clarify that
counties should receive the resources they need to divert
mentally ill low-level offenders to treatment rather than jail,
with follow-up services for those released from jail to keep
them from reoffending."
Analysis Prepared by:
Sandy Uribe / PUB. S. / (916) 319-3744 FN:
0001617
SB 621
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