BILL NUMBER: SB 2183	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE   MAY 26, 2000
	AMENDED IN SENATE   MAY 10, 2000
	AMENDED IN SENATE   MAY 1, 2000
	AMENDED IN SENATE   APRIL 13, 2000

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Soto

                        MARCH 16, 2000

   An act relating to trauma intervention, and making an
appropriation therefor.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 2183, as amended, Soto.  Trauma intervention.
   Under existing law, the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP)
funds, among other programs, various programs relating to victims
services.
   This bill would appropriate  $1,700,000  
$1,550,000  from the General Fund to OCJP for the purpose of
operating, for the first year of a 3-year pilot program, an expanded
version of a child trauma reduction pilot program that currently
provides trauma and grief intervention to students.  
   The bill would require the Legislative Analyst Office to conduct
an evaluation of the program and appropriate the sum of $150,000 from
the General Fund to the Legislative Analyst Office for the purpose
of conducting this evaluation. 
   Vote:  2/3.  Appropriation:  yes.  Fiscal committee:  yes.
State-mandated local program:  no.


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


  SECTION 1.  The Legislature hereby finds and declares as follows:
   (a) The Office of Criminal Justice Planning currently funds a
child trauma reduction pilot program in one school cluster consisting
of one senior high school and two feeder junior high schools in
northwest Pasadena that provides trauma and grief intervention
services.
   (b) The pilot program identifies youth that are in need of
postviolence and postdisaster mental health services.  Many of the
students who participated in this program suffered severe and
debilitating chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and had lost their
motivation for learning.
   (c) The pilot program has been successful in reducing
post-traumatic stress symptoms and in improving classroom behavior
and academic achievement.
   (d) The pilot program shall be extended from one to five clusters,
two of which would be located in northern California and three in
southern California with specific sites selected by the project
partners in conjunction with the Office of Criminal Justice Planning.

  SEC. 2.  (a) The sum of one million  seven hundred
  five hundred fifty  thousand dollars 
($1,700,000)   ($1,550,000)  is hereby appropriated
for one year from the General Fund to the Office of Criminal Justice
Planning  , without regard to fiscal year,  for the
purpose of operating, for the first year of a three-year pilot
program, an expanded version of the child trauma reduction pilot
program that currently provides trauma and grief intervention in one
cluster consisting of one high school and two junior high schools in
northwest Pasadena.  The program shall be expanded from one to five
clusters, two of which would be located in northern California and
three in southern California with specific sites selected by the
project partners in conjunction with the Office of Criminal Justice
Planning.  In selecting the five sites for implementation of the
program, the Office of Criminal Justice Planning and the project
partners shall consider:
   (1) The amount of crime and violence to which students are exposed
in the surrounding community.
   (2) The ability of the program managers to develop a coordinated
plan with school and community mental health services, local
victim-witness assistance programs, and local law enforcement
officials.
   (3) Approval of the program by the governing school district.
   (b) (1) The program shall include an evaluation component 
wherein the Legislative Analyst Office shall conduct, or contract
with another entity to conduct, an evaluation  in which students
treated in the program are compared against a control group. 
The sum of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) is hereby
appropriated from the General Fund to the Legislative Analyst Office
for the purpose of conducting this evaluation. 
   (2) The Office of Criminal Justice Planning shall report on the
program to the Legislature annually, on an interim basis, and shall
provide a full report by February 1, 2004.   This report shall
include, but not be limited to, a cost benefit analysis and a
recommendation with cost component on implementing the program
statewide. 
   (3) The evaluation by the  Office of Criminal Justice
Planning   Legislative Analyst Office  shall assess
delivery and achievement of program objectives  , including
enrollment rates of program participants in postsecondary
institutions  .
   (4) The onsite program partners shall conduct intervention outcome
analyses within and across sites and  shall report then to
the Office of Criminal Justice Planning   shall then
report to the Legislative Analyst Office  , based on the
following domains:
   (A) Psychological distress.
   (B) School performance  , including attendance, class failure
rates, dropout rates, and grade point average (GPA)  .
   (C) Social behavior  , including violent, aggressive, and
classroom disruptive behaviors  .
   (D) Behavioral and functional disturbance  , including chronic
posttraumatic stress disorder and attention deficit symptoms  .

   (E) Coping and adjustment  , including disciplinary actions
and family functioning  .
   (5) The evaluation shall include a cost-benefit analysis with
regard to public safety, education, and health service benefits.

   (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that, with respect to
future funding, alternative funding options be pursued and no
appropriation be made from the General Fund for this program unless
the evaluation required by this act demonstrates the feasibility of
statewide implementation of the program.