BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2715
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 21, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                 AB 2715 (Bass) - As Introduced:  February 19, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              Public  
          SafetyVote:  5-2

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) to  
          examine the three-strikes law and report its findings to the  
          Legislature no later than January 1, 2012. Specifically, this  
          bill:  

           1)Requires LAO to examine the costs and the benefits to public  
            safety of mandatory incarceration policies, as well as the  
            application of three-strikes sentencing in urban and rural  
            areas.  

          2)Directs the Judicial Council, the Attorney General, and the  
            University of California, to assist LAO.    

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          An in-depth study of this nature would likely require the  
          equivalent of a full LAO position, or about $100,000, which  
          would have the effect of redirecting existing LAO  
          responsibilities. 

           COMMENTS 

           1)Rationale  . The author contends it is crucial for policymakers  
            to understand the fiscal and policy impacts of the  
            three-strikes law as sentencing law and prison overcrowding  
            issues continue to significantly impact fiscal and policy  
            discussions. The author notes it has been five years since the  
            last evaluation of the cost and impact of the three-strikes  
            law (LAO, October, 2005). 









                                                                  AB 2715
                                                                  Page  2

           2)Suggested Amendments  . Should this bill move forward off the  
            committee's Suspense File, the author may wish to consider  
            extending the report deadline, perhaps to November 2012, to  
            give the LAO additional time. The LAO, like most departments  
            and offices, is being asked to do more with less. 

            Also, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the  
            federal receiver's office should also be referenced among the  
            entities directed to assist the LAO.  

           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Geoff Long / APPR. / (916) 319-2081