BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
962 (Liu)
Hearing Date: 05/03/2010 Amended: 04/20/2010
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-HernandezPolicy Vote: Public Safety
7-0
Judiciary 4-0
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BILL SUMMARY: This bill allows, at the court's discretion and
subject to availability, videoconferencing or teleconferencing
for prison inmates to participate in court proceedings relating
to the termination of their parental rights or the court-ordered
dependency of their child, as specified. This bill authorizes
the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to
establish a pilot project to allow videoconferencing or
teleconferencing participation, and specifies that is shall be
implemented only with private donations.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund
Authorizes CDCR pilot project **Unknown, possibly
significant** Private
**Likely minor custody
costs, if implemented** General
Inmate transportation **Potentially significant
savings** General
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STAFF COMMENTS: This bill authorizes CDCR to establish a pilot
project which would allow inmates who are parents to participate
in specified court hearings by video or teleconference, instead
of in person. If implemented, this bill could result in
significant savings to CDCR to transport inmates to and from
dependency hearings.
Existing law requires that inmates be notified of any judicial
proceeding that, where a judicial proceeding concerns the
termination of the their parental rights, or the adjudication of
the child of a prisoner a dependent child of the court (Penal
Code 2625.)
Existing law further gives an inmate the right to attend any
such hearing, unless the inmate waives his or her right to
attend.
This bill is likely to save CDCR significant costs to transport
and guard inmates who wish to attend specified dependency
hearings which they are statutorily entitled to attend. To the
extent that a parent who would have attended a hearing in person
chooses to attend by video or teleconference, CDCR would not
have to guard or transport that inmate - each hearing can cost
CDCR thousands of dollars to allow the inmate to participate.
Inmates may also miss work, educational, or counseling programs
that they need (and which may ultimately contribute to
additional "good time" credits).
To the extent that the inmate would have otherwise waived his or
her right to attend, and will now participate via
videoconference, there may be a minor cost to CDCR to supervise
the videoconference. All other aspects of the pilot project must
be funded with private donations. Implementing this pilot
project is entirely at CDCR's discretion; there is no mandate in
this bill.