BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




          Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary

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|                               |AB 1255  (Wright)           |
|-------------------------------+----------------------------|
|                               |                            |
|-------------------------------+----------------------------|
|Hearing Date: 9/1/99           |Amended: 8/17/99            |
|-------------------------------+----------------------------|
|Consultant: Lisa Matocq        |Policy Vote: Pub Saf 5-0    |
|                               |                            |
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____________________________________________________________ 

BILL SUMMARY:  AB 1255, an urgency bill, (1) establishes,  
until January 1, 2004, the Young Offender Intensive  
Supervision Probation Project (YOISPP) Act of 2000, as  
specified, (2) appropriates a total of $6.18 million from  
the General Fund to the Board of Corrections (BOC) for this  
purpose, and (3) makes related legislative findings and  
declarations.    
                         Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
  Major Provisions            1999-2000           2000-01            2001-02             
     Fund  
YOISPP Act             $ 6,180*            $ 6,180           $ 6,180            
    General
Incarceration                   Unknown, potentially significant,  
incarceration  General/
                       cost savings                  Local
*Appropriated in the bill.  

STAFF COMMENTS:  SUSPENSE FILE.  This bill establishes the  
YOISPP Act, a grant program administered by BOC, designed  
to provide intensive supervision as an alternative to  
incarceration for non-violent offenders who have substance  
abuse problems.  Grants would be awarded to counties for  
the establishment or expansion of intensive supervision  
programs for offenders between the ages of 18 and 29,  
convicted of a drug-related offense, sentenced to not more  
than 24 months in state prison, and who have not been  
convicted of a prior felony offense.  The components of the  
program include, among other things:  specified caseload  
ratios, weekly officer/offender contacts, frequent drug  
testing, and job training placement.  The chief probation  
officer of each county would be responsible for the program  
and generally for determining eligibility of a defendant.   










There is a reporting requirement, an evaluation component,  
and a match requirement.

The bill appropriates $6 million from the General Fund to  
BOC for grants, and $180,000 (about 3%) for administration  
of the program.  STAFF NOTES that the appropriation to BOC  
for administrative costs may be inadequate since  
administrative costs are generally 5%.  The bill also  
specifies that funding in subsequent years is contingent  
upon appropriations in the annual Budget Acts, but  
presumably is intended to continue at the same funding  
level.  

According to CDC, there were a max. of 3,405 prison  
admissions during 1997-98 that could be impacted by this  
bill (information about prior felony convictions is not  
readily available). Incarceration costs for state prison  
are about $21,000 per inmate year.  Since it is unknown how  
many persons would be diverted from state prison or county  
jail to the intensive supervision program under this bill,  
offsetting cost savings cannot be estimated, but could be  
significant.