(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.