Late last week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta released
four annual reports — as well as 10 new data dashboards — that
provide the public with statewide data on criminal justice
statistics in California. The reports, as well as the data behind
each report, are available on OpenJustice, a data-driven
initiative that works to increase access to criminal justice data
and support the development of public policy.
Last week, the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC)
released the Request for Applications for $9.6 million in
one-time infrastructure grants to help counties prepare for
housing young people who after July 1 will no longer be
transferred to the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). In
September, the Governor signed Senate Bill 823, which realigns
the responsibility of youthful offenders from the State to
counties.
The Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health (CCJBH) is
offering training for counties that have implemented behavioral
health diversion services. Diversion services have the potential
to facilitate the best outcomes for people with behavioral health
needs and help relieve systemic, financial, and other pressures
on affected counties.
The Board of State and Community Corrections Board will meet
on April 8, 2021, at 10:00 am. The Board
Meeting will be live-streamed: To view the live stream, visit the
BSCC website homepage 10-15 minutes before the scheduled
start time.
The Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health (CCJBH) is
offering training for counties that have implemented behavioral
health diversion services. Diversion services have the potential
to facilitate the best outcomes for people with behavioral health
needs and help relieve systemic, financial, and other pressures
on affected counties.
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) is hosting a
virtual Stakeholder Input Session on March 22, 2021, from
4 – 6 p.m. The session will focus on the
development of the $9.6 M Request for Application (RFA) for
the Youth Programs and Facilities Grant Program portion of
SB 823 (Chapter 337, Statutes of 2020).
In partnership with the Mental Health Services Oversight and
Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), the Council of State
Governments (CSG) Justice Center will be hosting a series of
online workshops in March & April for county teams interested in
implementing/improving screening and assessment for behavioral
health needs in jails. The first session, Identifying Goals and
Tools for Behavioral Health Screening, will be held on
Wednesday, March 10 from 12:00-2:30 pm.
The California Law Revision Commission (CLRC) meets via zoom on
Thursday, February 25 from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm.
Agenda topics include a status report on the 2021 Legislative
Program, a discussion of issues with regards to statutes made
obsolete by trial court restructuring and a discussion about
proposals for new study topics, procedures or other general
matters by commissioners. For additional information and a full
copy of the agenda, please click here.
Words to Deeds, partnering with MHSOAC, is presenting the 2nd in
a series of FREE, interactive Webinars highlighting the MHSOAC
Criminal Justice Innovation Incubator Collaboratives. This
Webinar,
Collaborative Problem Solving: Competency to Stand Trial in
Nevada County, will take place on Tuesday, February 9
from 2:00 – 3:30 pm.
This is a reminder that the deadline to submit applications to
the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) for the
federal Coronavirus
Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) Program is
Monday, February 1, 2021. This non-competitive
application makes $41,763,011 available to interested counties
for approaches that prevent, prepare for, and respond to the
coronavirus.
The California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board
(Board) recently announced the release of its fourth annual
report on racial and identity profiling in policing in the state
as required under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015
(RIPA). Each year, the Board examines topics of importance to the
community and law enforcement to make recommendations with the
goal of effecting positive change and ultimately improving
relationships and trust between law enforcement and the
community.
CSAC’s 126th Annual Conference was held virtually from
November 12-19. The conference offered a variety of workshops,
speakers, and policy committee meetings with a strong presence
from the Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF).
Governor Newsom announced a seventh and final round of Project
Homekey awards last Thursday, totaling $81.4 million.
The final round includes $129.6 million
to nine applicants for 17 projects
totaling 982 units. To date, more
than $835.6 million has been awarded to
48 jurisdictions for 93 projects
totaling 6,055 units. The average per-unit cost to
Homekey is $138,512.
The seventh round of awards includes projects in these 4 county
led efforts:
Last Friday, Governor Newsom announced a sixth round of Project
Homekey awards totaling $81.4 million.
Round six of Homekey awards were provided to 5 applicants for 6
projects totaling 430 units. These awards bring the total awarded
under Homekey to $709 million for 45 applicants and 78 projects
which total 5,068 units. The average per-unit cost to Homekey is
$139,000.
The sixth round of awards includes projects in these 4 county led
efforts:
Governor Newsom met the September 30 deadline to take action on
measures approved by the Legislature and delivered to his desk.
To keep counties informed of new laws that impact them, CSAC will
be publishing 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 criminal justice
fees, courts, probation, police reform and the realignment of the
Division of Juvenile Justice.
Last Friday, Governor Newsom announced a fourth round of Project
Homekey awards totaling $147 million. The Governor also announced
a new partnership with Blue Shield of California and Kaiser
Permanente to provide $45 million in operating subsidies for
Homekey projects.
Round four of Homekey awards were provided to 12 applicants for
20 projects totaling 1,109 units. These awards bring the total
awarded under Homekey to $596 million.
The fourth round of awards includes projects in these
nine county led efforts:
BSCC Launches Public Comment for Federal JAG Spending Priorities
As part of its three-year strategic planning effort, the Board of
State and Community Corrections (BSCC) is launching a months-long
public input process that will help establish priorities for
2022-2025 grant funding for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice
Assistance Grant.
The Administration of Justice policy committee advocated on a
number of bills this legislative session. Here are some
highlights from the end of session.
The Senate Public Safety Committee held an oversight hearing,
COVID-19 in California State Prisons. The hearing focused on the
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR)
current and future plans for handling of increases in COVID-19
cases in state prisons, which has now spread to at least 19 state
correctional facilities.
In response to increasing court pressure and the growing number
of COVID-19 cases in state prisons, this week the California
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) will begin a
new early release process. Similar to the last round of early
releases, this new program will include several “public safety
screens” which exclude offenders:
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Board will
meet Thursday, June 11, at 10:00 am via
Zoom/Teleconference. The agenda topics include an information
only COVID-19 update on Adult and Juvenile detention facilities
and BSCC inspections, training compliance and grants.
A Judicial Council working group
of 23 volunteer judges and court
executives released a 75-page
resource guide to assist the state’s trial
courts with their pandemic continuity of operations, while
providing a safe environment for court users, staff, and
justice partners.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
(CDCR) resumes intake from county jails this week. The intake
process from county jails began in a very limited and controlled
manner with CDCR only accepting offenders at the North Kern State
Prison and Wasco State Prison reception centers. Also, through
June 19, CDCR will only accept intake from the counties of Los
Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Fresno. CDCR anticipates
that no more than 200 inmates will be accepted from these
counties.
As counties work diligently to prepare local budgets in the face
of great fiscal uncertainty, we know there are many questions
about existing revenue streams. The economic impacts of COVID-19
are anticipated to result in sharp reductions in Vehicle License
Fee (VLF) and Sales and Use Tax, creating unprecedented times for
2011 Public Safety Realignment—the first year-over-year decline
in revenue for the Local Revenue Fund 2011.
As previously shared in the April
2 CSAC Bulletin, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of
Justice Assistance (BJA) released a Coronavirus Emergency
Supplemental Funding (CESF) solicitation on March 30, 2020. The
CESF program provides funding to states, local units of
government, and tribes to prevent, prepare for, and respond to
the coronavirus.
The Public Policy Institute of California
released a report summarizing statewide jail population
trends in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not surprisingly,
the report explains that jail populations across the state have
declined—stating that between February 29 and April 11, all of
California’s counties reduced their jail populations by releasing
more people than they admitted.
The Judicial Council of California has launched the Pandemic
Continuity of Operations Working Group, which will quickly
collect best practices and publish a framework to help the
state’s 58 superior courts address interrupted services
in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The group, a roster of
22 superior court presiding judges and court executive
officers from a Judicial Council advisory group, plans to publish
by early June its collection of best practices and guidance from
federal, state, and local entities.
A decision issued by the Fourth District Court of Appeal in
Ayala, et al. v. The Superior Court of San Diego
County addresses the application of the Judicial Council’s
emergency rule for a $0 bail schedule.
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) recently
implemented a Supplemental Jail Profile Survey to collect data
from county sheriffs and chief probation officers on average
daily population, bookings, and releases related to the COVID-19
pandemic. The supplemental jail and juvenile detention profile
surveys are now available on the
BSCC website.
