BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2521
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2521 (Hagman)
As Amendeded May 23, 2014
Majority vote
PUBLIC SAFETY 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Ammiano, Melendez, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow, |
| |Jones-Sawyer, Quirk, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Skinner, Stone, Waldron | |Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| | | |Holden, Jones, Linder, |
| | | |Pan, Quirk, |
| | | |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, |
| | | |Weber |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires, on and after July 1, 2015, the Board of State
and Community Corrections (BSCC), in consultation with specified
stakeholders, to collect and analyze data regarding recidivism
rates, as defined, of all persons who receive sentences for felonies
punishable by imprisonment in a county jail, or who are placed on
postrelease community supervision on or after July 1, 2015.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Specifies that BSCC shall consult with the Administrative Office
of the Courts, the California State Association of Counties, the
California State Sheriffs' Association, and the Chief Probation
Officers of California, in fulfilling the requirements of this
bill.
2)States that the data shall include, as it becomes available,
recidivism rates for these offenders one, two, and three years
after their release in the community.
3)Requires BSCC to make any data collected pursuant to this
paragraph available on the board's Internet Web site on a
quarterly basis beginning on September 1, 2016.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes BSCC, commencing July 1, 2012, an entity independent
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of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
2)States that it shall be the duty of BSCC 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.
3)Requires BSCC to do the following:
a) Develop recommendations for the improvement of criminal
justice and delinquency and gang prevention activity throughout
the state;
b) Identify, promote, and provide technical assistance relating
to evidence-based programs, practices, and promising and
innovative projects consistent with the mission of BSCC;
c) Develop definitions of key terms, including, but not limited
to, "recidivism," "average daily population," "treatment
program completion rates," and any other terms deemed relevant
in order to facilitate consistency in local data collection,
evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based practices,
promising evidence-based practices, and evidence-based
programs. In developing these definitions, the board shall
consult with specified stakeholders and experts;
d) Receive and disburse federal funds, and perform all
necessary and appropriate services in the performance of its
duties as established by federal acts;
e) 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
BSCC;
f) 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 in adherence with all applicable federal
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guidelines and mandates;
g) 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;
h) 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;
i) Conduct evaluation studies of the programs and activities
assisted by the federal acts;
j) Identify and evaluate state, local, and federal gang and
youth violence suppression, intervention, and prevention
programs and strategies, along with funding for those efforts.
BSCC 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 January 1, 2014, BSCC shall develop funding
allocation policies to ensure that within three years no less
than 70% of funding for gang and youth violence suppression,
intervention, and prevention programs and strategies is used in
programs that utilize promising and proven evidence-based
principles and practices. BSCC shall communicate with local
agencies and programs in an effort to promote the best
evidence-based principles and practices for addressing gang and
youth violence through suppression, intervention, and
prevention;
aa) BSCC shall collect from each county the plan submitted
pursuant to 2011 public safety realignment 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 July 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, the board
shall provide to the Governor and the Legislature a report on
the implementation of the plans; and,
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bb) Commencing on and after July 1, 2012, BSCC, in consultation
with the Administrative Office of the Courts, the California
State Association of Counties, the California State Sheriffs'
Association, and the Chief Probation Officers of California,
shall support the development and implementation of first phase
baseline and ongoing data collection instruments to reflect the
local impact of 2011 public safety realignment, specifically
related to dispositions for felony offenders and postrelease
community supervision. BSCC shall make any data collected
pursuant to this paragraph available on the board's Internet
Web site. It is the intent of the Legislature that BSCC promote
collaboration and the reduction of duplication of data
collection and reporting efforts where possible.
4)Provides that BSCC may do either of the following:
a) Collect, evaluate, publish, and disseminate statistics and
other information on the condition and progress of criminal
justice in the state; or,
b) 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.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee,
annual General Fund staffing costs, likely in the range of $250,000
for 2.5 personnel year equivalents to collect, track, analyze, and
post data relating to thousands of offenders. Collecting the
required data will be a challenge, as it will require considerable
cooperation with local law enforcement. In addition, there will be
unknown, but considerable, related informational technology (IT)
infrastructure costs as BSCC identifies and builds its IT system.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "A continuing theme in the
hearings of the Select Committee on Justice Reinvestment and in
reports from outside entities like the Public Policy Institute of
California is the need for accurate, up-to-date, and policy-relevant
data.
"It is imperative that we track the recidivism rates of offenders
who, before realignment, would have served their sentence in
prison, but who are now serving those sentences in county jails.
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This is important data that is necessary to evaluate the effects
of realignment on public safety in our communities and the
effectiveness of rehabilitation programs.
"This bill builds on last year's AB 1050 (Dickinson) [Chapter 270,
Statutes of 2013] which, among other things, required the Board of
State and Community Corrections to develop a common definition of
the term 'recidivism.' This bill goes the next step and requires
the Board, after July 1, 2015, to report the recidivism rates of
those either sentenced under, or receiving post-release community
supervision under the public safety realignment law. Consistent
with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's data for
parolees, it would require this to be reported for those one, two,
and three years after release. Collecting and reporting
recidivism data is an essential part of any thoughtful approach
toward evaluating the success of realignment and in identifying
any need for changes."
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion of
this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Stella Choe / PUB. S. / (916) 319-3744
FN: 0003718