BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON Public Safety
Senator John Vasconcellos, Chair S
1999-2000 Regular Session B
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SB 1987 (Vasconcellos) 7
As Amended April 13, 2000
Hearing date: April 25, 2000
Penal Code
VT:br
SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT AND EMPLOYMENT
TRAINING FOR PAROLEES
HISTORY
Source: California Association of Re-Entry and Employment
Services (CARES)
Prior Legislation: SB 491 - Chapter 500, Statutes of 1998
Support: Attorney General
Opposition:None known
KEY ISSUE
SHOULD $11,925,000 BE APPROPRIATED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
TO FUND A THREE YEAR DEMONSTRATION PROJECT WHICH WOULD PROVIDE
SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT SERVICES AND PARALLEL EMPLOYMENT
PREPARATION TRAINING, AS SPECIFIED, TO FELONS WHO ARE TO BE PAROLED?
PURPOSE
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The purpose of this bill is to provide $11,925,000 in
funding to the Department of Corrections for a three year
project which would be used for substance abuse treatment
and employment skills training to felons who are to be
paroled, with the objective of parolee crime prevention and
recidivism.
Existing law provides that the Department of Corrections
shall establish three pilot programs that provide intensive
training and counseling programs for female parolees to
assist in successful reintegration of those parolees into
the community upon release or discharge from prison and
after completion of in-prison therapeutic community
substance abuse treatment. (Penal Code section 3054)
Existing law provides that the aforementioned pilot
projects shall include a comprehensive case management
component, and may include, but not be limited to, drug and
alcohol abuse treatment, cognitive skills development,
education, life skills, job skills, victim impact
awareness, anger management, family reunification,
counseling, vocational training and support, residential
care, and placement in affordable housing and employment
opportunities. (Penal Code section 3054)
Existing law provides that the Director of Corrections
shall determine the counties in which those pilot programs
are established. (Penal Code section 3054)
Existing law provides that the Department of Corrections
shall operate the Preventing Parolee Crime Program which
includes residential and nonresidential multiservice
centers, literacy labs, drug treatment networks and job
placement assistance for parolees. (Penal Code section
3068)
Existing law requires the Department of Corrections to
contract with an independent consultant to conduct an
evaluation regarding the impact of the Preventing Parolee
Crime Program to additional parole units on public safety,
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parolee recidivism, and prison and parole costs, and report
the results to the Legislature by January 1, 2004. (Penal
Code section 3068)
Existing law states that:
The Department of Corrections shall develop and report,
utilizing existing resources, to the Legislature by
December 31, 2000, a plan that would ensure by January
1, 2005, that all prisoners and parolees who are
substance abusers receive appropriate treatment,
including therapeutic community and academic programs.
The plan shall include a range of options, estimated
capital outlay and operating costs for the various
options, and a recommended prioritization, including
which persons shall receive priority for treatment, for
phased implementation of the plan. (Penal Code section
3070)
This bill :
appropriates $11,925,000 in funding for an employment
preparation program to be administered by the Department
of Corrections as an in-prison parallel service to
current substance abuse treatment services. Training
will be provided by employment training, placement,
retention and re-entry specialists in collaboration.
requires that in-custody employment preparation training
shall be provided for at least five hours per week for
in-custody offenders that are 90 days from release and
shall include the following: vocational assessment and
skills identification, life skills training (including
goal setting, resume development and job-seeking and
retention skills).
requires that services be provided to parolees after the
transition back to the community, in both a residential
and community employment training, placement, and
retention service setting. These services will include
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integrated case management, serving substance abuse
treatment, employment preparation, and job placement.
requires that extensive assistance be provided to
parolees by a community employment facility (two located
in Northern California, two located in Southern
California, four in total) that offers relapse prevention
and recovery services, vocational assessment and career
counseling, transition assistance, job retention services
and placement services.
requires that the substance abuse treatment and parallel
employment preparation training programs within this
pilot project will commence on April 1, 2001 and continue
for three years.
gradually implements the pilot project, serving 500
participants in the first year, 3000 participants in the
second year and 4000 participants in the third year.
requires a study to be submitted by the Legislature no
later than July 1, 2004 by the Department of Corrections
to determine the impact of substance abuse treatment
services and parallel employment preparation training,
placement, and retention services on parolee stability,
employment retention, recidivism and a cost-benefit
analysis.
COMMENTS
1. Need for This Bill
According to the author:
The goal of SB 1987 is to reduce recidivism by
providing a comprehensive continuum of care from
prison through parole. This will be accomplished by
combining existing substance abuse treatment services
with job placement, job retention, and critical
support services.
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The Governor has proposed an expansion of drug
treatment beds and the commitment to expand drug
treatment services for inmates already exits.
SB 1987 would allow for a parallel track of job
preparation, placement, and retention services
thereby creating a comprehensive effort between
treatment and employment services that will enhance
and build upon the successes of each in reducing
recidivism. SB 1987 is needed to meet these goals
for the following reasons:
? Treatment programs and employment/reentry services
will operate cooperatively and in tandem maximizing
their benefits to reduce recidivism.
? An expansion in services is needed to provide
parolees with assistance in finding and keeping a
job and staying substance abuse and crime free.
? Needed is a comprehensive program designed to meet
the complex employment retention and aftercare needs
of parolees.
? SB 1987 will allow treatment and employment
service providers to combine efforts in using best
practices techniques and will be evaluated for
effectiveness.
It is imperative that only validated and best
practices methods be used to provide proven and
effective services in reducing recidivism. Current
research indicates many effective best practices for
employment services and drug treatment. Using these
methods helps to increase the standard of services in
all areas while effectively reducing the recidivism
rate. Evaluation ensures that taxpayer's money is not
wasted on efforts that do not produce results. The
definition of effective aftercare services means more
than just on-going drug treatment. It also means
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comprehensive transitional employment and retention
services. The combined effort of best practices by
substance abuse treatment and also offender employment
and re-entry services will maximize the potential for
a successful transition into the community. SB 1987
will help parolees to beat the odds and create a safer
community for everyone.
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2. History of Available Employment Services
Background provided by the sponsor asserts that:
CDC's Parole and Community Services Division
(PCSD)provides for a variety of employment services
programs that include the Jobs Plus Program, Employment
Development Department services, and most recently the
Offender Employment Continuum. There has also been an
effort to by OSAP to provide employment-related services
for females who have participated in in-prison treatment
programs. It has been estimated that only about 5% -10%
of the 135,000 parolees statewide would be able to
receive services even if all of these programs operated
at top capacity.
The Jobs Plus Program has operated since 1986 when it
started as a pilot project in the LA area. The Jobs Plus
program was temporarily suspended and began again on
March 1, 2000. It is currently operating at nine sites
throughout the state and goals for FY 99/00 are 1,960
placements statewide. The goal of Jobs Plus is to
increase employability of offenders by providing
pre-employment training, job placement into full-time
jobs, and referrals for support services.
The EDD program is designed to have EDD representatives
in area parole offices. The program has been under
contract with CDC through PCSD since 1993. At its peak
there were 90 parole units with an EDD representative
although the program has been scaled back considerably
since that time. EDD representatives refer parolees to
temporary, seasonal, part-time, and full time work using
the statewide database of EDD employers called CALJOBS.
The CALJOBS database is now available to the general
public through the Internet.
The Offender Employment Continuum (OEC) began this year
in October 2000. Designed by PCSD staff, OEC was suppose
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to place approximately 5000 parolees a year in jobs
through 6 sites throughout the state. The program was
designed so that each site worked with paroles from only
one "feeder" institution. Parolees must attend a 40-hour
(20 hour per week for 2 week) class before given any job
leads. As of March of 2000, no OEC site had come close
to meeting any monthly contractual goals or objectives.
Most OEC providers had placed less than 5 parolees in
jobs since the beginning of the contract. The contract
is under revision at this time to expand the OEC sites to
enable them to work with parolees from any institution.
3. The Governor's Budget
In the Public Safety section of the Governor's Budget
Summary for the Year 2000-01, the following is indicated:
Substance Abuse Treatment Program Expansion
Substance abuse is often cited as being a primary or
contributing cause of criminal behavior. The budget
contains $12.3 million and 23 personnel years to expand
in-prison substance abuse treatment beds from 6,514 to
8,014 including residential aftercare treatment for 50
percent of the program graduates.
SHOULD THE MONEY ALLOCATED IN THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET BE USED
FOR THIS PILOT PROJECT?
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