BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SCR 20
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 19, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                      SCR 20 (Liu) - As Amended:  May 28, 2009 

          Policy Committee:                              JudiciaryVote:10  
          - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This resolution encourages the Department of Social Services,  
          the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Foster  
          Care Ombudsperson, schools, and other relevant organizations to  
          distribute copies of the San Francisco Children of Incarcerated  
          Parents Partnership bill of rights. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          There are no costs associated with this resolution. 

           COMMENTS  

           Purpose  . This resolution encourages designated government and  
          nonprofit organizations to distribute the Children of  
          Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights to children of incarcerated  
          parents, and to invite discussion and encourage relevant  
          departments to use the Bill of Rights as a framework for  
          analysis and determination of procedures when making decisions  
          about services for these children.

          According to the author, California does little to protect  
          the rights of the children of incarcerated parents and  
          mediate the impact of having an incarcerated parent.  The  
          purpose of this resolution is to help maintain the  
          well-being of children of incarcerated parents and support  
          their needs.  By working toward the goals outlined in the  
          bill of rights for children with incarcerated parents the  
          state can improve its rate of recidivism and improve  
          outcomes for youth.









                                                                  SCR 20
                                                                  Page  2

           The SFCIPP Bill of Rights  outlines specific rights for children  
          of incarcerated parents.  These rights include:

                 The child has the right to be heard when decisions are  
               made about him or her. 
                 The child has the right to be considered when decisions  
               are made about his or her parent. 
                 The child has the right to be well cared for in his or  
               her parent's absence.
                 The child has the right to speak with, see, and touch  
               his or her parent. 
                 The child has the right not to be judged, blamed, or  
               labeled because his or her parent is incarcerated. 
                 The child has a right to a lifelong relationship with  
               his or her parent. 

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081