BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1961
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Date of Hearing: April 14, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 1961 (Gilmore) - As Introduced: February 17, 2010
Policy Committee: Public
SafetyVote: 7-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California Rehabilitative Oversight Board
(C-ROB) within the Office of the Inspector General, to recommend
elimination of any rehabilitation or treatment program operated
by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations (CDCR)
that CROB finds is not cost effective or successful, and
explicitly authorizes CROB to recommend redirecting funding to
more effective programs. C-ROB would be required to complete its
evaluation of all programs by January 1, 2021, completing 10% of
the evaluations each year.
FISCAL EFFECT
Annual GF costs to the C-ROB (currently funded at $517,000, GF)
that could range from minor and absorbable, to more than
$200,000, depending on how the bill is interpreted.
Arguably the bill does not require additional duties of C-ROB as
statute already authorizes the board to do everything this bill
requires and the specific direction of this bill is consistent
with current law.
Given the author's intent, however, to increase the depth and
breadth of OIG's program reports, an increase of one to two
personnel years - $100,000 to $200,000 - would not be
unreasonable.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. The author contends C-ROB's program reviews have
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been insufficient in depth and specificity and as such fail to
provide the Legislature the information necessary to make
effective policy and fiscal decisions.
According to the author, "The Legislature needs better, more
specific, more policy-relevant data to determine which
rehabilitation programs should be continued, which should be
expanded, and which should be terminated. ?without a more
comprehensive and specific analysis of 'what works' and what
changes need to be made to these programs, we are likely to
continue the types of practices that were criticized in the
Inspector General's 2007 report with regard to drug programs -
continuing business as usual and ignoring academic studies
suggesting appropriate changes in rehabilitation program
implementation. Furthermore, the evaluations should be far
more specific - not just an analysis of 'prison education,'
for example, but of particular programs as they are designed
and implemented by the Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation."
2)Will requiring more specific recommendations and a 10-year
evaluation of all programs increase report quality? The author
contends "the Legislature needs much better, more specific
data on what works and what doesn't work for prison
rehabilitation than C-ROB has provided, to date." While
better, more specific data is always preferable, it is
difficult to achieve quality by requiring this via statute.
3)C-ROB , created by AB 900 (Solorio, Statutes of 2007),
comprises 11 members as follows, or the appointee's designee:
a) The Inspector General
b) The Secretary of the CDCR
c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction
d) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges
e) The Director of the State Department of Alcohol and Drug
Programs
f) The Director of Mental Health
g) A UC faculty member with expertise in rehabilitation of
criminal offenders
h) A CSU faculty member with expertise in rehabilitation of
criminal offenders
i) A county sheriff
j) A chief probation officer
aa) A local government official who provides mental health,
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substance abuse, or educational services to criminal
offenders.
C-ROB's charge is to meet at least quarterly to examine the
various mental health, substance abuse, educational, and
employment programs for inmates and parolees operated by CDCR.
The board is required to report to the governor and
Legislature on March 15 and September 15 each year, and may
submit additional reports as necessary. The reports must
include, but are not limited to, findings on the efficacy of
treatment efforts, rehabilitation needs of offenders, gaps in
rehabilitation services, and levels of offender participation
and success. The board is also required to recommend
modifications, additions, and eliminations of rehabilitation
and treatment programs. C-ROB has issued six reports.
4)Related Legislation . AB 1362 (Solorio), 2009, would have
created the CROB Advisory Committee. AB 1362 was held on this
committee's Suspense File.
Analysis Prepared by : Geoff Long / APPR. / (916) 319-2081