BILL NUMBER: AB 1281	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 25, 2011
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 31, 2011

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Garrick

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2011

   An act to amend Section 3043.25 of the Penal Code, relating to
parole.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1281, as amended, Garrick. Parole hearings: audioconferencing.
   Existing law requires the Board of Parole Hearings to give notice
of a parole suitability hearing for a prisoner, upon request, to a
victim or next of kin, if the victim has died. Under existing law,
the victim, members of the victim's immediate family, representatives
designated by the victim, and specified prosecutors have a right to
appear at the hearing in person, and may appear at the hearing by
means of videoconferencing, as defined, if videoconferencing is
available at the hearing site.
   This bill would provide that these individuals may also appear at
any parole suitability hearing by means of audioconferencing, as
defined, if audioconferencing is available at the hearing site.
 The bill would further expand these rights to apply to all
members of a victim's family. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 3043.25 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
   3043.25.  Any victim, next of kin, members of the victim's
 family, and   immediate family, or 
representatives designated for a particular hearing by the victim or
next of kin in writing prior to the hearing who have the right to
appear at a hearing to review parole suitability or the setting of a
parole date, either personally as provided in Section 3043, or by a
written, audiotaped, or videotaped statement as provided in Section
3043.2, and any prosecutor who has the right to appear pursuant to
Section 3041.7, shall also have the right to appear by means of
videoconferencing or audioconferencing, if videoconferencing or
audioconferencing is available at the hearing site. For the purposes
of this section, "videoconferencing" means the live transmission of
audio and video signals by any means from one physical location to
another and "audioconferencing" means the live transmission of audio
signals by any means from one physical location to another.