The 2021-22 state budget appropriated $140 million ($70 million ongoing) to the Judicial Council to fund the implementation and operation of ongoing court programs and practices that promote safe, efficient, fair and timely pretrial programs. The funding is intended to provide courts with information and resources to support judicial officers in making pretrial release decisions that impose the least restrictive conditions to address public safety and return to court as well as implementation of appropriate monitoring practices and provision of services for released individuals.

The language requires courts to contract with any county department, including county probation departments, to provide pretrial services except for departments that have primary responsibility for making arrests or prosecuting criminal offenses. The language also allows the county department who is contracted with the court to contract with a community organization to provide additional complementary services in furtherance of the program. The services provided by the community organization would be in addition to, not in lieu of, the county entity working with the court to provide pretrial services.

Link to Language: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billCompareClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB129&showamends=false