BILL NUMBER: AB 526 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 4, 2012
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Dickinson
FEBRUARY 15, 2011
An act to amend Section 13827 6027
of the Penal Code, relating to crime prevention.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 526, as amended, Dickinson. Gang and youth violence:
Delinquency and gang intervention and prevention
grants: evidence-based practices.
Existing law, commencing July 1, 2012, establishes the Board of
State and Community Corrections to provide statewide leadership,
coordination, and technical assistance to promote effective state and
local efforts and partnerships in California's adult and juvenile
criminal justice system, including addressing gang problems. Under
existing law, the board is required to annually review and approve,
or review, revise, and approve, the comprehensive state plan for the
improvement of criminal justice and delinquency and gang prevention
activities throughout the state, establish priorities for the use of
available federal funds, and approve the expenditure of all funds
pursuant to the plans or federal acts.
This bill would additionally require the board to identify
delinquency and gang intervention and prevention grant funds and
programs for the purpose of consolidating those grant funds and
programs and moving toward a unified single delinquency intervention
and prevention grant application process. The bill would require the
board to develop incentives for units of local government to develop
comprehensive regional partnerships in order to deliver services to a
broader target population and maximize the impact of state funds at
the local level. The bill would also require, by July 1, 2013, the
board to develop a plan to ensure that within 3 years no less than
85% of state gang intervention and prevention funding is used in
juvenile justice programs that utilize evidence-based practices.
Existing law establishes the Office of Gang and Youth Violence
Policy to, among other things, identify and evaluate gang and youth
violence suppression, intervention, and prevention programs and
strategies and funding. Existing law requires the Secretary of
Emergency Management to take certain measures to identify and promote
best practices to address gang and youth violence.
This bill would instead require the secretary to identify and
implement evidence-based practices to address gang and youth
violence. The bill would also require the California Emergency
Management Agency to make recommendations on the most effective role
of the agency in developing a plan to shift state-funded crime
prevention and juvenile justice programs toward evidence-based
practices over a 3-year period.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 6027 of the Penal Code, as amended
by Section 33 of Chapter 36 of the Statutes of 2011, is amended to
read:
6027. (a) It shall be the duty of the Board of State and
Community Corrections to collect and maintain available information
and data about state and community correctional policies, practices,
capacities, and needs, including, but not limited to, prevention,
intervention, suppression, supervision, and incapacitation, as they
relate to both adult corrections, juvenile justice, and gang
problems. The board shall seek to collect and make publicly available
up-to-date data and information reflecting the impact of state and
community correctional, juvenile justice, and gang-related policies
and practices enacted in the state, as was well as information and
data concerning promising and evidence-based practices from other
jurisdictions.
(b) Consistent with subdivision (c) of Section 6024, the board
shall also:
(1) Develop recommendations for the improvement of criminal
justice and delinquency and gang prevention activity throughout the
state.
(2) Identify, promote, and provide technical assistance relating
to evidence-based programs, practices, and innovative projects
consistent with the mission of the board.
(3) Receive and disburse federal funds, and perform all necessary
and appropriate services in the performance of its duties as
established by federal acts.
(4) Develop comprehensive, unified, and orderly procedures to
ensure that applications for grants are processed fairly,
efficiently, and in a manner consistent with the mission of the
board.
(5) Identify delinquency and gang intervention and prevention
grants that have the same or similar program purpose, are allocated
to the same entities, serve the same target populations, and have the
same desired outcomes for the purpose of consolidating grant funds
and programs and moving toward a unified single delinquency
intervention and prevention grant application process.
(5)
(6) Cooperate with and render technical assistance to
the Legislature, state agencies, units of general local government,
combinations of those units, or other public or private agencies,
organizations, or institutions in matters relating to criminal
justice and delinquency prevention.
(7) Develop incentives for units of local government to develop
comprehensive regional partnerships whereby adjacent jurisdictions
pool grant funds in order to deliver services to a broader target
population and maximize the impact of state funds at the local level.
(6)
(8) Conduct evaluation studies of the programs and
activities assisted by the federal acts.
(7)
(9) Identify and evaluate state, local, and federal
gang and youth violence suppression, intervention, and prevention
programs and strategies, along with funding for those efforts. The
board shall assess and make recommendations for the coordination of
the state's programs, strategies, and funding that address gang and
youth violence in a manner that maximizes the effectiveness and
coordination of those programs, strategies, and resources. By
July 1, 2013, the board shall develop a plan to ensure that within
three years no less than 85 percent of state gang intervention and
prevention funding is used in juvenile justice programs
that utilize evidence-based practices. The board shall
communicate with local agencies and programs in an effort to promote
the best practices for addressing gang and youth violence through
suppression, intervention, and prevention.
(8)
(10) The board shall collect from each county the plan
submitted pursuant to Section 1230.1 within two months of adoption by
the county boards of supervisors. Commencing January 1, 2013, and
annually thereafter, the board shall collect and analyze available
data regarding the implementation of the local plans and other
outcome-based measures, as defined by the board in consultation with
the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Chief Probation Officers
of California, and the California State Sheriffs Association. By
July 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, the board shall provide to the
Governor and the Legislature a report on the implementation of the
plans described above.
(c) The board may do either of the following:
(1) Collect, evaluate, publish, and disseminate statistics and
other information on the condition and progress of criminal justice
in the state.
(2) Perform other functions and duties as required by federal
acts, rules, regulations, or guidelines in acting as the
administrative office of the state planning agency for distribution
of federal grants.
SECTION 1. Section 13827 of the Penal Code is
amended to read:
13827. (a) There is within the agency, the Office of Gang and
Youth Violence Policy.
(b) (1) The Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy shall be
responsible for identifying and evaluating state, local, and federal
gang and youth violence suppression, intervention, and prevention
programs and strategies, along with funding for those efforts. The
secretary shall be responsible for monitoring, assessing, and
coordinating the state's programs, strategies, and funding that
address gang and youth violence in a manner that maximizes the
effectiveness and coordination of those programs, strategies, and
resources. The secretary shall communicate with local agencies and
programs in an effort to identify and implement evidence-based
practices for addressing gang and youth violence through suppression,
intervention, and prevention.
(2) The agency shall develop a comprehensive set of
recommendations to define its mission, role, and responsibilities as
a statewide entity dedicated to reducing violence and the
proliferation of gangs and gang violence in California communities.
(3) In developing this set of recommendations, the agency shall
collaborate with a wide range of state and local stakeholders,
including, but not limited to, community-based organizations serving
at-risk populations and neighborhoods, law enforcement, educators,
the courts, policy experts and scholars with expertise in the area of
criminal street gangs, and local policymakers.
(4) The agency, in collaboration with the stakeholders specified
in paragraph (3), shall include in its deliberations the most
effective role for the office with respect to the following:
(A) The collection and analysis of data on gang membership
statewide and the effectiveness of various gang prevention efforts.
(B) The development of reliable and accurate sources of data to
measure the scale and characteristics of California's gang problems.
(C) The development of a clearinghouse for research on gangs,
at-risk youth, and prevention and intervention programs in order to
identify evidence-based practices, and in order to promote effective
strategies for reducing gang involvement and gang violence.
(D) The development of a plan to shift state-funded crime
prevention and juvenile justice programs toward evidence-based
practices over a three-year period.
(E) Assisting state and local governmental and nongovernmental
entities in developing violence and gang prevention strategies,
including built-in evaluation components.
(F) The development of sustained coordination mechanisms among
state, local, and regional entities.
(G) The identification of available or needed federal, state,
regional, local, and private funding resources.
(H) Providing or otherwise promoting public education on effective
programs, models, and strategies for the control of violence and
serving as a clearinghouse for information on gang violence
prevention issues, programs, resources, and research.
(I) Providing or otherwise promoting training and technical
assistance to help build the capacity of organizations, communities,
and local government to develop, implement, and evaluate gang
violence prevention programs.
(J) Providing information and guidance to state and local
governmental and nongovernmental entities on accessing state and
federal resources to prevent gang violence.
(K) Facilitating greater integration between existing entities
with respect to gang prevention efforts.