BILL ANALYSIS
SB 2183
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 27, 2000
Counsel: Angelo Butler
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
Carl Washington, Chair
SB 2183 (Soto) - As Amended: May 26, 2000
SUMMARY : Appropriates $1.55 million from the General Fund to
the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP) for the first
year of a three-year pilot program, that expands an existing
child trauma reduction pilot program. Appropriates $150,000
from the General Fund to the Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) to
conduct an evaluation of the program. Specifically, this bill :
1)Appropriates $1.55 million from the General Fund to OCJP to
operate the first year of a three-year pilot program, an
expanded version of the child trauma reduction pilot program
that provides trauma and grief intervention in one school
cluster consisting of one high school and two junior high
schools in northwest Pasadena.
2)Provides that the program shall be expanded from one to five
school clusters, two of which would be located in northern
California and three in southern California with specific
sites to be selected by the project partners and OCJP.
3)States that the Legislature finds and declares that the pilot
program identifies youth who are in need of post-violence and
post-disaster mental health services, and that many of the
students who participated in the program suffered severe and
debilitating chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and
had lost their motivation for learning.
4)States that the Legislature finds and declares that the pilot
program has been successful in reducing post-traumatic stress
symptoms and in improving classroom behavior and academic
achievement.
5)Requires that the LAO conduct, or contract with another entity
to conduct, an evaluation in which students treated in the
program are compared against a control group, and that
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$150,000 is appropriated from the General Fund to the LAO to
conduct this evaluation.
6)Requires that OCJP provide annual reports to the Legislature.
The final report that is to be completed by February 1, 2004
shall include a cost-benefit analysis and a recommendation on
implementing the program statewide.
7)States that it is the Legislature's intent 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
this program.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides that OCJP develop the comprehensive statewide plan
for the improvement of criminal justice and delinquency
prevention activity throughout California. (Penal Code
Section 13823.)
2)States that the Legislature finds that acts of family violence
often result in other crimes and social problems, and provides
that OCJP develop programs to address family violence,
including the replication of successful models, as
appropriate, through the state. (Penal Code Section 13823.4.)
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
1)Author's Statement : According to the author, "The National
Institute of Justice has found that 43% of male adolescents
and 35% of female adolescents have witnessed violence such as
a shooting, knifing, sexual assault, or mugging. Among those,
15% developed PTSD.
"Children and teenagers that witness violence are affected
greatly. They can be severely traumatized and oftentimes
develop PTSD. Many youth that witness violence are
despondent, reserved, and often do not perform well in school.
Also, youth that are traumatized by violence are more likely
to commit crimes later in life and are less likely to be
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productive citizens. Yet with all of the negative effects
associated with witnessing violence, these kids do not receive
much assistance or counseling. The witnesses are not
considered to be victims; yet, because of trauma that they
incur by witnessing extreme violence, they are victims. These
children are the forgotten victims of crime, those that don't
get noticed, and those that don't get help. The bill is
designed to help these silent victims.
"The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Trauma
Psychiatry Program and OCJP have been operating a pilot
program in Northwest Pasadena for the past three years. It is
a school-based, trauma/grief-focused intervention program that
has been very successful in treating junior high and high
school students that have experienced trauma. Since starting
the program, the students improved school performance greatly,
helped the students feel better about themselves, and made
them more motivated to become productive citizens. At the
beginning of the program the students had a mean GPA of 1.35,
and after just 20 weeks the mean GPA raised to 2.12.
"Due to the success of this pilot program in Northwest Pasadena,
they would like to extend it to five additional sites. Two
sites will be in northern California and three in southern
California. The sites will be in areas with a high
concentration of crime and violence, this is where the need
exists. The program has been successful; now it is important
to expand it to reach a greater number of traumatized youth
and help them.
"The children that witness crime and violence are forgotten and
ignored; however, their pain and trauma does not go away.
They continue to be haunted by what they have seen and this
hurts them academically and socially. We need to reach out,
identify the kids, and get them treatment. By extending this
pilot program, we will increase the number of kids that can be
treated.
2)UCLA-OCJP School-Based Adolescent Trauma/Grief Intervention
Program : In 1997, UCLA published the first controlled
long-term treatment outcome study among early adolescents
exposed to catastrophic trauma and death. This study
demonstrated the effectiveness of school-based,
trauma/grief-focused intervention in significantly alleviating
chronic PTSD. Treatment gains were maintained at follow-up,
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one and one-half years post-treatment. In sharp contrast,
there was a significant worsening of symptoms among
adolescents in the no-treatment control group. School surveys
indicate that an estimated 3% to 7% of middle and high school
students in high crime areas have had the most extreme forms
of exposure to violence as victims and witnesses.
The UCLA Trauma Psychiatry Program and OCJP have been operating
a pilot program in northwest Pasadena for the past three
years. The program reports that the students participating in
the program have realized a significant decrease in chronic
PTSD; a reduction in class failure; increased attention and
concentration in the classroom; improved grades; and reduced
violent, aggressive, and disruptive behaviors in the
classroom. The program is based at a school cluster
consisting of a high school and junior high feeder schools.
The program conducts a school-wide screening and
identification of traumatized youth. Youth are selected
participate in a one-semester, specialized group
trauma/grief-focused intervention. The five areas of focus
during the intervention include trauma, trauma/loss reminders,
grief, current stress, and development. Follow-up support
consists of on-going family involvement and family support
sessions, coordination with school personnel, Victim-Witness
Assistance Programs, local law enforcement, mentorship
programs, and religious and community services. The program
conducts a comprehensive treatment outcome evaluation of
program participants, employing multiple outcome domains using
multiple informants.
3)Proposed Expansion Of School-Based Adolescent Trauma/Grief
Intervention Program To Five School Clusters : This bill
proposes that the pilot program shall be extended from one to
five school clusters, two of which will be located in northern
California and three in southern California. The specific
sites will be selected by program partners in conjunction with
OCJP, utilizing the following considerations: (a) the amount
of the crime and violence to which students are exposed in the
surrounding community; (b) 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; and (c) approval of the
program by the governing school district. It is estimated
that a total of 2,500 to 3,000 students will receive extensive
direct treatment services through the program, with an
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additional 500 to 1,000 students provided extended crisis
intervention services during acute traumatic situations.
4)The LAO's Evaluation Of The Program : This bill provides for a
$150,000 appropriation from the General Fund to LAO to
conduct, or contract with another entity to conduct, an
evaluation in which students treated in the program are
compared against a control group. The evaluation by LAO shall
assess delivery and achievement of program objectives,
including enrollment rates of program participants in
postsecondary institutions.
5)OCJP Report And The Input Of The Program Partners : This bill
requires OCJP to 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 is not
limited to, a cost-benefit analysis and a recommendation with
a cost component on implementing the program statewide.
This bill requires that the onsite program partners conduct
intervention outcome analyses within and across sites and
shall then report to LAO, based on the following domains: (a)
psychological distress; (b) school performance, including
attendance, class failure rates, dropout rates, and grade
point average; (c) social behavior, including violent,
aggressive, and classroom disruptive behaviors; (d) behavioral
and functional disturbance, including chronic PTSD and
attention deficit symptoms; and (e) coping and adjustment,
including disciplinary actions and family functioning. In
addition, the evaluation shall include a cost-benefit analysis
with regard to public safety, education, and health service
benefits.
6)Future Funding Of The Program : With respect to future
funding, stated legislative intent is that alternative funding
options are to be pursued and no appropriation be made from
the General Fund for the program unless the evaluation
required by this bill demonstrates the feasibility of
statewide implementation of the program.
According to the author, long-term support for a statewide
implementation of this program could be provided by specified
funds for Medi-Cal students, victim-witness assistance and
restitution funding for victims of crime. Services should be
integrated into existing school mental health services.
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Attorney General's Office
California Psychological Association
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Victim-Witness
Assistance Program
Los Angeles Unified School District Mental Health Services,
District Crisis Teams
Los Angeles Unified School District Mental Health Services,
Suicide Prevention Unit
Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department
Pasadena Unified School District
San Bernardino City Unified School District Police Department
UCLA Trauma Psychiatry Program (source)
Urban Counties Caucus
Charles R, Marmar, MD, Director, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Program, UCSF
Herbert Schreier, MD, Chief of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital
Oakland
Opposition
None on File
Analysis Prepared by : Angelo Butler / PUB. S. / (916)
319-3744