Legislative Platform 2004
The Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC) in pursuit of their Legislative Platform will seek the following legislative goals in the 2004 Session of the California Legislature:
CPOC Sponsored Bills:
CPOC will sponsor/support legislation to maintain funding and flexibility for Public Safety Programs with special emphasis on:
1) Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act Funds.
2) Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) - direct
funding of probation programs.
3) Restore state funding for the training (STC) of probation and custodial
officers.
4) Exempt PC 830.5 Peace Officers from the provisions of the Meyers-Milias
Brown Act as it applies to “Public Employees Review Boards”
(PERBs).
5) Restorative Justice.
CPOC will support legislation to:
1) Provide incentives for collection of court-ordered payments.
2) Remove guns from high-risk probationers.
3) Authorize continuous electronic monitoring programs.
4) Authorize “Dual Status” for juveniles (Delinquency and
Dependency).
5) Eliminate the acceptance of new group home programs or facility expansions
based on the recommendation of the “primary placing county.”
6) Implement the Probation Services Task Force recommendations.
COMPREHENSIVE YOUTH SERVICES ACT
The Chief Probation Officers of California will sponsor/support legislation to maintain funding and flexibility for programs authorized under the Comprehensive Youth Services Act (CYSA).
CYSA OVERVIEW
The CYSA provides County Probation Departments with federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds through the federal block grant. The intent of the legislation is to allow county probation departments to provide a continuum of family-focused, case-specific services in a community-based setting that addresses the full spectrum of child and family needs including services provided in county-operated residential care facilities.
The TANF federal block grant formula was based on Aid to Families with Dependant Children (AFDC) provided to the States in FFY 1995. The California TANF block grant was increased by $168 million per year to replace probation Title IV EA entitlement claims that had been eliminated. CYSA was enacted to authorize the distribution of these additional funds to County Probation Departments to be used to further the federal TANF goals through service provision in twenty-three specified areas. In addition, the Governor elected to replace the $33 million ranches and camps subsidy with block grant funds. The state had resumed that support to counties after the loss of title IV EA funding.
CYSA SERVICES
The services provided by County Probation Departments must provide the structure, support, and supervision to keep probation youth from further crime and assist them in developing essential skills to avoid dependence upon public assistance. In addition, County Probation Departments also serve parents of at-risk youth to promote increased self-sufficiency, personal responsibility and family stability.
County Probation Departments target the youths who are at most risk in specialized programs in county juvenile halls, camps and out-of-home placements. In addition, counties spread/blend the funds through various community-based treatment programs developed to meet the four federal TANF goals of 1) Providing assistance to families so youths may be cared for in their own homes; 2) Reducing dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work and marriage; 3) Encouraging formation/maintenance of two-parent families; and 4) Preventing/reducing incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies.
JUVENILE JUSTICE CRIME PREVENTION ACT
The Chief Probation Officers of California will sponsor/support legislation to maintain funding and flexibility for programs funded under the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA).
JJCPA OVERVIEW
The Crime Prevention act of 2000, now referred to as the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) created a stable funding source for local juvenile justice programs aimed at curbing crime and delinquency among “at risk” youth. Counties use the funding provided through JJCPA for collaborative efforts addressing a continuum of responses to juvenile crime involving prevention, intervention, supervision, treatment and incarceration.
California’s juvenile crime rate began climbing in the late 1980’s and reached alarming levels in the early 1990’s. The Legislature responded by supporting initiatives to develop and identify the most effective strategies for curbing juvenile crime. Since 1995 there has been a steady, dramatic decline in California’s juvenile crime rate. Experts agree that collaborative efforts to intervene in the lives of “at risk” youth is a key factor. With this in mind, the Legislature enacted and the Governor signed the JJCPA.
JJCPA PROGRAMS
Programs funded by the JJCPA must be based on approaches that have proven effective in curbing juvenile crime and respond to identified needs in each county. The JJCPA requires a multi-disciplinary Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC) in each county to develop and maintain a comprehensive plan documenting the condition of each local juvenile justice system and efforts proposals/programs funded to fill identified service gaps.
The JJCPA requires counties to collect information for statewide evaluation on six criminal justice outcomes: arrests, incarceration, probation violations rates, probation completion rates, restitution payments and, community service completion rates. In addition local outcome measures used by counties to assess individual programs effectiveness include personal conduct and functioning measures such as drug/alcohol abuse, adjustment scores, employment and gang involvement; family functioning measures such as improved communication, family conduct and relationships; and school behavior and performance measures such as grades, attendance, expulsions and suspensions.
Examples of JJCPA programs that have proven particularly effective are
the Los Angeles County School-based Program, Marin County Enhanced County
Community School Program, Mono County Recreation/Mentor Program, Nevada
County Emergency 601 Bed Space, Orange County Youth Guidance Center Program
for Girls, San Diego County Juvenile Delinquency Drug Court Program, San
Francisco County Life Learning Academy, Solano County Detention Multidisciplinary
Team Program and the Sonoma County Probation Officers on Selected High
School Campuses Program.
