At its May 12 business meeting, the Judicial Council
approved new court rules and forms to implement the
Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act.
CSAC would like to share that the California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Pine Grove Youth
Conservation Camp is an available resource for both Secured Youth
Treatment Facility (SYTF) Step Down youth and youth who have not
committed a 707a(b) offense.
In prior years, asking for a reduction in the amount of a traffic
ticket meant filing a request in person at the courthouse or even
appearing before a judge. A new online tool, MyCitations,
offered by a growing number of courts is not only saving
litigants a trip to the courthouse, but it’s also saving them
money.
The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) recently
released a report,
Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal
Courts, which chronicles how the COVID-19 pandemic affected
courts in 2020, describes policy responses, and assesses the
impact of remote hearing policies on conviction and sentencing
outcomes within six months of arrest.
Recently, the California Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation (CDCR) published two reports examining the
recidivism outcomes of formerly incarcerated individuals released
in Fiscal Years (FY) 2016-17 and 2017-18.
The first year of the biennial legislative session is underway
with the highest number of bills introduced in over a decade. Our
CSAC Administration of Justice policy team is closely monitoring
public safety related legislation and ensuring that the county
perspective is considered in the legislative process. We will
continue to provide updates with counties as bills are amended
and move through the Legislature. While there are hundreds of
bills we are tracking, here a few that CSAC has taken a
registered position:
Supervisors and county staff throughout the state convened in
Sacramento County for the 2023 CSAC Legislative Conference to
engage, empower and
elevate our collective county voice.
CSAC’s five policy committees – AOJ, AENR, GFA, HHS and HLT
– held important discussions to help steer the Association’s
policy and direction. Below is a recap from each policy
committees’ meeting.
The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office is pleased
to announce that the following grant funding opportunities are
now open and accepting applications:
The Board of State Community and Corrections (BSCC) BOARD will
meet April 13 at 9:00 am. The meeting will be held in person at:
2590 Venture Oaks Way, Sacramento, California, 95833 in the
First Floor, BSCC Board Room. The meeting will also be available
via zoom.
At its March 24 business meeting, the Judicial Council received a
report on the MyCitations program. This program, launched in 2019
as a pilot project in a few select courts, is an online tool that
allows people with infraction violations to request a reduction
in what they owe. The MyCitations tool is now in 21 superior
courts around the state. The Judicial Council anticipates adding
the remaining 37 courts and achieving statewide implementation by
June 30, 2024.
The Council of State Governments (CSG), the U.S. Department of
Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice
Assistance (BJA) and the National Reentry Resource center will
host a webinar,
Housing Financing Basics for Criminal Justice Partners on
April 5 from 10:00 am – 11:30 am.
The Council of State Governments (CSG), the U.S. Department of
Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice
Assistance (BJA) and the National Reentry Resource Center will
host a webinar,
Implementing Forensic Peer Services in Reentry, on April 4
from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’
Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are working with
The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center to
articulate a vision for law enforcement’s role in 988.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, which is part of the U.S.
Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs, along with the
Council of State Governments Justice Center
launched “Justice
Counts” last year to address the data problem. The
initiative seeks to provide policymakers and the public with
timely, wide-ranging information that they have previously been
unable to access.
CSAC would like to share information on Vera Institute’s (Vera)
new California data hub which has county-specific resources for
county leaders interested in analyzing spending for criminal
justice. Vera is hosting a virtual launch event to introduce the
data hub on Thursday, March 16th from 11 am -12 pm. To register
for the launch event please
click here.
The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI)
recently announced two upcoming public webinars to share findings
from recently released reports.
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) will host its
first Board meeting of the year on Thursday, February 9 at 10:00
am. The meeting will be held in person at 2590 Venture Oaks
Way
Sacramento, California, 95833, First Floor, BSCC Board Room and
via Zoom.
Agenda topics include:
The Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health (CCJBH)
will meet virtually via Zoom on Friday, Jan 27th from
2-4:30 pm.
The Full Council Meeting will feature a presentation on the
California Crisis Care Continuum by Stephanie Welch, Deputy
Secretary of Behavioral Health with the California Health and
Human Services Agency (CalHHS) and Erika Cristo, Assistant Deputy
Director with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) is seeking
people interested in participating in a subcommittee of the
Juvenile Regulations Revision Executive Steering Committee (ESC)
Subcommittee on Secure Youth Treatment Facilities (SYTF)
Regulations.
Recently, Governor Gavin Newsom increased efforts statewide to
tackle organized retail theft ahead of the holiday shopping
season. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) Organized Retail
Crime Task Force (ORCTF) is increasing their presence at shopping
centers throughout the state and working with local law
enforcement agencies to make arrests and heighten
visibility.
CSAC recently reported on the final outcomes of measures that
were approved by the Legislature and delivered to Governor Newsom
for action. To keep counties informed of new laws of interest and
impact, CSAC will publish a series of articles to spotlight those
laws in each policy area. This week, the Administration of
Justice policy area provides information on new laws affecting
courts, mental health diversion, probation, corrections, justice
involved youth and elections.
The new laws listed below become effective January 1, 2023 unless
otherwise noted.
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) is announcing
the release of the Public Defense Pilot Program (PDPP) Request
for Applications (RFA).
This RFA makes approximately $49.4 million available to counties.
PDPP funds must be utilized for indigent defense providers,
including public defenders, alternate defenders, and other
qualifying entities that provide indigent defense in criminal
matters for the purposes of workload associated with Sections
1172.1, 1172.6, 1473.7, and 3051 of the Penal Code.
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) is announcing
the release of the Proposition 64 Public Health and Safety (Prop
64 PH&S) Grant Program Cohort 3, Request for Proposals (RFP).
The Prop 64 PH&S Grant Program directs revenue from the
cultivation and sale of cannabis to projects that promote public
health and safety.
The Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD)
will be hosting a webinar on either Friday, November 4,
2022 or Monday, November 7, 2022 to provide information
and answer any questions about how counties can use Byrne JAG
funding to support indigent defense. Please let us know if
you are interested and whether Friday or Monday works
best. The specific time is TBD.
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) is seeking
members to serve on a new Executive Steering Committee (ESC) for
the
Mobile Probation Service Centers Grant Program. Statements of
Interest for this ESC will be taken until a full membership has
been reached.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is pleased to
announce the Opioid Solutions Leadership Network: a learning and
leadership-building community of county leaders pursuing
innovative and evidence-based solutions to the opioid epidemic.
The Opioid Solutions Leadership Network will identify and convene
county leaders from across the country who are leading efforts to
invest opioid settlement funds in strategies that save lives,
address the needs of people with substance use disorders and
prevent future harms.
