(a) The Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall establish a parole reentry accountability program for parolees who have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment under Section 1170. The purpose of the program is to promote public safety, hold parolees accountable, and reduce recidivism.
(b) The department shall employ a parole violation decisionmaking instrument to determine the most appropriate sanctions for these parolees who violate their conditions of parole.
(1) For purposes of this subdivision, a “parole violation decisionmaking instrument” means a standardized tool that provides ranges of appropriate sanctions for parole violators given relevant case factors, including, but not limited to, offense history, risk of reoffense based on a validated risk assessment tool, need for treatment services, the number and type of current and prior parole violations, and other relevant statutory requirements.
(2) The department shall adopt emergency regulations to implement this section initially, and shall subsequently adopt permanent regulations that make appropriate changes in policies and procedures to reflect the intent of this section.
(c) The secretary shall have the discretion to establish additional tools and standards to further the purposes of this section.
(d) Parolees who have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment under Section 1170 and offenders subject to postrelease supervision as established in the Postrelease Community Supervision Act of 2011 with a history of substance abuse or mental illness who violate their conditions of parole or postrelease supervision are eligible to participate in a reentry court program established pursuant to subdivision (e).
(1) A parolee or offender subject to postrelease supervision who is deemed eligible by the department or local supervising agency to participate in a reentry court program may be referred by his or her parole officer, local supervising agent, or a revocation hearing officer for participation in the program. The reentry court shall have the discretion to determine if the parolee or offender subject to postrelease supervision will be admitted into the program and, in making this determination, shall consider, among other factors, whether the offender will benefit from the program, the risk the offender poses to the community, and the history and nature of the committing offense.
(2) If the reentry court determines that the parolee or offender subject to postrelease supervision will be admitted into the program, the court, with the assistance of the participant’s parole or local supervising agent, shall have exclusive authority to determine the appropriate conditions of parole or postrelease supervision, order rehabilitation and treatment services to be provided, determine appropriate incentives, order appropriate sanctions, lift parole holds, and hear and determine appropriate responses to alleged violations, unless and until the court terminates the participant’s enrollment in the program authorized by subdivision (e).
(3) A reentry court program plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(A) The anticipated number of parolees and offenders subject to postrelease supervision who will be served by the program.
(B) The method by which each parolee or offender subject to postrelease supervision who is eligible for the program shall be referred to the program.
(C) The method by which each parolee or offender subject to postrelease supervision is to be individually assessed as to his or her treatment and rehabilitative needs and the level of community and reentry court monitoring required by the program.
(D) The criteria for continued participation in, and successful completion of, the program, as well as the criteria for termination from the program and referral to the revocation process pursuant to Section 3000.08 for parolees and Section 3454 for offenders subject to postrelease supervision.
(E) A description of how the program shall be administered effectively.
(F) An established method by which to report outcome measures for program participants.
(G) The development of a program team, as well as a plan for ongoing training in utilizing the drug court and collaborative court nonadversarial model.
(e) (1) Subject to funding made available for this purpose, the secretary shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Administrative Office of the Courts for the purpose of the establishment and operation of reentry court programs. Only courts with existing drug and mental health courts or courts that otherwise demonstrate leadership and a commitment to conduct the reentry court authorized by this section may participate in this program. These reentry court programs shall, with the assistance of the participant’s parole or postrelease supervision agent, direct the treatment and supervision of participants who would benefit from community drug treatment or mental health treatment. The purpose of reentry court programs created pursuant to this subdivision is to promote public safety, hold offenders accountable, and reduce recidivism. The program shall include key components of drug and collaborative courts using a highly structured model, including close supervision and monitoring, dedicated calendars, nonadversarial proceedings, frequent drug and alcohol testing, and close collaboration between the respective entities involved to improve the participant’s likelihood of success on parole or postrelease supervision.
(2) The Judicial Council, in collaboration with the department, shall design and perform an evaluation of the program that will assess its effectiveness in reducing recidivism among parolees and offenders subject to postrelease supervision and reducing revocations.
(3) The Judicial Council, in collaboration with the department, shall submit a final report of the findings from its evaluation of the program to the Legislature and the Governor no later than 3 years after the establishment of a reentry court pursuant to this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 39, Sec. 43. (AB 117) Effective June 30, 2011. Operative October 1, 2011, pursuant to Secs. 68 and 69 of Ch. 39.)