BILL ANALYSIS
SB 588
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 588 (Public Safety Committee)
As Introduced February 27, 2009
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :39-0
PUBLIC SAFETY 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Arambula, Hagman, |Ayes:|De Leon, Conway, Ammiano, |
| |Ammiano, Furutani, | | |
| |Gilmore, Hill, Ma | |Charles Calderon, Coto, |
| | | |Davis, |
| | | |Fuentes, Hall, Harkey, |
| | | |Miller, |
| | | |Nielsen, John A. Perez, |
| | | |Skinner, |
| | | |Solorio, Audra |
| | | |Strickland, Torlakson, |
| | | |Hill |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Eliminates the January 1, 2010 sunset date of the Sex
Offender Management Board (SOMB).
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the SOMB under the jurisdiction of the California
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
2)Provides that the SOMB shall consist of 17 members, and states
that the membership shall reflect, to the extent possible,
representation of northern, central, and southern California,
as well as urban and rural areas.
3)Requires that each member of the SOMB, regardless of the
appointing authority, shall have the following
characteristics:
a) Substantial prior knowledge of issues related to sex
offenders, at least insofar as related to his or her own
agency's practices;
SB 588
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b) Decision-making authority for, or direct access to those
who have decision-making authority for, the agency or
constituency he or she represents; and,
c) A willingness to serve on the SOMB and a commitment to
contribute to the SOMB's work.
4)Specifies the state and local government agencies that must be
represented in the membership of the SOMB, as well as
non-governmental agencies who are mental health professionals
and recognized experts in the field of sexual assault and its
victims.
5)Sets forth the duties of the SOMB to address any issues,
concerns, and problems related to the community management of
adult sex offenders, and states that the main objective of the
SOMB is to achieve safer communities by reducing
victimization.
6)Requires the SOMB to conduct a thorough assessment of current
management practices for adult sex offenders, primarily those
under direct criminal justice or other supervision, residing
in California.
7)Requires the SOMB to develop recommendations, based on the
findings in the assessment, to improve management practices of
adult sex offenders in the community, with the goal of
improving community safety. Requires the SOMB to conduct
public hearings, as it deems necessary, for gathering
information and receiving input regarding the work of the SOMB
from concerned stakeholders and the public.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, according to CDCR, which administers the SOMB, in
2008-09 the General Fund cost of the SOMB was about $600,000,
primarily to staff the SOMB and conduct research. Current law
authorizes the SOMB to hire a coordinator and other staff "as
funding permits."
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Under current statute, the
SOMB will sunset on January 1, 2010. This bill will eliminate
that sunset and allow the SOMB to continue its work into the
future.
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"In 2006, the California SOMB was enacted into law 'to address
any issues, concerns, and problems related to the community
management of adult sex offenders. The SOMB's Web site provides
the following information about its work:
a) " Vision : The vision of the California SOMB is to
decrease sexual victimization and increase community
safety.
b) " Mission : The vision will be accomplished by addressing
issues, concerns and problems related to community
management of adult sex offenders by identifying and
developing recommendations to improve policies and
practices.
c) " Background : On September 20, 2006, Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 1015, which created the
California SOMB. AB 1015 had been introduced by Assembly
Members Judy Chu and Todd Spitzer and passed the California
Legislature with nearly unanimous bipartisan support.
"Because California is the most populated state in the Union
and has had lifetime registration for its convicted sex
offenders since 1947, California has more registered sex
offenders than any other state with about 88,000 identified
sex offenders (per the Department of Justice, August 2007.)
Currently, CDCR supervises about 10,000 of those 88,000
sex offenders, of which about 3,200 have been designated as
high-risk sex offenders (CDCR Housing Summit, March 2007).
Additionally, there are about 22,500 adult sex offenders
serving time in one of 32 state prisons operated by CDCR
(California Sex Offender Management Task Force Report, July
2007.)
"While it is commonly believed that most sexual assaults are
committed by strangers, the research suggests that the
overwhelming majority of sex offenders victimize people
known to them; approximately 90% of child victims know
their offenders, as do 80% of adult victims [per
Kilpatrick, D.G., Edmunds, C.N., & Seymour, A.K. (1992)
Rape in America, A Report to the Nation, Arlington, VA
National Victim Center.)
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"The SOMB has produced a number of reports since its
inception:
i) "Progress Report, January 2009.
ii) "Adam Walsh Act Position Recommendation.
iii) "Homelessness Among Registered Sex Offenders in
California: The Numbers, the Risks and the Response,
November 2008.
iv) "An Assessment of Current Management Practices of
Adult Sex Offenders in California, January 2008.
v) "GPS Response Letter to CDCR Secretary. (All
reports available on SOMB's Web site at
http://www.casomb.org/reports.htm.)"
Please see the policy committee for a full discussion of this
bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Kathleen Ragan / PUB. S. / (916)
319-3744
FN: 0002562