BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                          AB 565
                                                          Page  1

Date of Hearing:  May 11, 1999
Consultant:  Ignacio Hernandez


              ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY 
                        Mike Honda, Chair

       AB 565 (Havice) - As Introduced:  February 19, 1999
             As Proposed to be Amended in Committee
  
  
  SUMMARY  :  Authorizes two municipalities to operate the Repeat  
Offender Prevention Project (Project).  Specifically,  this bill   
adds the Cities of Bellflower and Downey to the Project.  

  EXISTING LAW  :

1)Establishes the Project in the Counties of Fresno, Humboldt,  
  Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Mateo, and Solano, and the  
  City and County of San Francisco.  (Welfare and Institutions  
  Code Section 743.)

2)Vests in the Board of Corrections the authority to establish  
  goals, deadlines, selection criteria and funding schedules for  
  the participating counties.  [Welfare and Institutions Code  
  Section 743.)

3)Authorizes a chief probation officer or a regional consortium  
  of chief probation officers to serve as onsite administrator  
  of the Project.  (Welfare and Institutions Code Section 744.)

4)Applies the following criteria to minor selection for  
  participation in the Project:

   a)   The minor is 15- and one-half years of age or younger  
     and a ward of court;

   b)   The minor is evaluated and found to have at least one of  
     the following:

     i)     School behavior and performance problems;

     ii)       Family problems;

     iii)      Substance abuse;








                                                          AB 565
                                                          Page  2


     iv)    High-risk, pre-delinquent behavior; or

     v)     Displays characteristics of at-risk profile for  
       becoming chronic and repeat juvenile offenders.  

       (Welfare and Institutions Code Section 746.)

  FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown

  COMMENTS  :  

  1)Author's Statement  .  According to the author, "This program  
  will be an invaluable tool to help the cities of Downey and  
  Bellflower curb youth crime and violence before it ever  
  happens."

  2)The Project  .  From 1986 to 1991, arrests for violent crime  
  increased 48% for youths ages 10 to 17.  (Kids Count Data  
  Book, 1993.)  The Project attempts to curb juvenile crime  
  through comprehensive behavioral treatment of a juvenile  
  offender.

At the outset, an assessment of the juvenile's propensity for  
  future acts of violence and/or crime is conducted.  This  
  analysis attempts to identify both personal and social  
  conditions that are recognized indicators of habitual criminal  
  activity.  Key characteristics include low academic  
  performance, alcohol use, documented incidents of child abuse,  
  and violent behavior at school.  

Following a thorough assessment of the juvenile, an array of  
  professionals is assigned to the youth and may include a  
  psychologist, mental health counselor, and self-esteem expert.  
   In addition, key family members are recruited to assist the  
  youth in identifying why he or she has engaged in criminal  
  behavior.  A recent study conducted by a research group from  
  Washington State University concluded that efforts to reduce  
  youth violence are more effective when parents are integrated  
  into a programmatic response.  

If a lack of job skills is identified as a contributing factor  
  to delinquent behavior, the Project recruits an employment  
  specialist to work with the youth to devise a strategy to  
  improve his or her marketability.  








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A recently published work on violence prevention programs  
  discovered significant evidence that multidisciplinary, early  
  prevention programs can be very successful in reducing youth  
  violence and crime.  ["Evaluation of Schools-Based Violence  
  Prevention Programs", Sample,s, F. (1998).]  

The Project's goal is to create a "multidisciplinary, and  
  culturally competent team so that the program can effectively  
  draw on the professional knowledge, skill, and experience of  
  many treatment disciplines."  This approach is particularly  
  beneficial for the multi-ethnic populations of the Cities of  
  Downey and Bellflower.

  3)Prior Legislation  .  AB 2447 (Murray), Chapter 1049, Statutes  
  of 1996, in authorized the creation of the Project and  
  outlined its original goals and practices.

AB 2594 (Wright), Chapter 327, Statutes of 1998, transferred  
  oversight of the Project from the California Youth Authority  
  to the Board of Corrections.  AB 2594 also made programmatic  
  adjustments to the Project.  

  REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

  Support  

California Paint Council
California Peace Officers' Association
California Police Chiefs' Association
California State Sheriffs' Association
Juvenile Court Judges of California

  Opposition  

None on file
  
Analysis Prepared by  :  Ignacio Hernandez / PUB. S / (916)  
319-3744