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Criminal Justice Publications

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Report

The 2015-16 Budget: Major Features of the Adopted Plan (Other Issues)

June 19, 2015 - We have provided information on the major provisions of the budget plan passed by the Legislature on Friday, June 19. (It does not reflect potential gubernatorial vetoes.) We will provide a more comprehensive summary of the budget plan in our annual California Spending Plan later this summer.

Handout

Governor’s May Revision: Funding for Local Law Enforcement Training and Traffic Amnesty Program

May 17, 2015 -

Handout

Governor's Population Related Proposals for CDCR

April 23, 2015 - Presented to: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 5 On Corrections, Public Safety and the Judiciary

Handout

Governor’s Proposals: Funding for Local Law Enforcement Training and Traffic Amnesty Program

March 26, 2015 - Presented to: Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Corrections, Public Safety and the Judiciary

Handout

Shortfalls in Indian Gaming Funds

March 24, 2015 - Presented to Senate Governmental Organization Committee

Report

The 2015-16 Budget: Improving State Programs for Crime Victims

March 18, 2015 - As part of the Governor’s budget for 2015-16, the administration proposes to reorganize the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board (VCGCB). In this report, we (1) review existing victim programs, (2) identify challenges regarding the current structure and delivery of these programs, and (3) recommend steps to help address these challenges.

Handout

Trial Court Funding in 2013-14

March 11, 2015 - Presented to: Joint Legislative Audit Committee and Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Public Safety

Handout

Improved Budgeting for the Department of State Hospitals

March 5, 2015 - Presented to: Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Public Safety

Handout

Impact of Proposition 47 on State Corrections

March 5, 2015 - Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee 5 on Corrections, Public Safety and the Judiciary

Handout

Impact of Proposition 47 on State Corrections

March 4, 2015 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Public Safety

Report

The 2015-16 Budget: Governor's Criminal Justice Proposals

February 20, 2015 - The Governor’s budget proposes a total of $15 billion from various fund sources for judicial and criminal justice programs in 2015-16. This is an increase of $306 million, or about 2 percent, above estimated expenditures for the current year. In the report we provide an analysis of the Governor's budget proposals for state criminal justice departments and programs, including for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the judicial branch, various local public safety programs, and the Department of Justice. The report reviews the most significant proposals in these areas and offers corresponding recommendations for the Legislature's consideration.

Report

The 2015-16 Budget: Implementation of Proposition 47

February 17, 2015 - On November 4, 2014, voters approved Proposition 47 which makes significant changes to the state’s criminal justice system. Specifically, it reduces the penalties for certain non-violent, nonserious drug and property crimes and requires that the resulting state savings be spent on (1) mental health and substance use treatment services, (2) truancy and dropout prevention, and (3) victim services. In this report, we describe the impact of Proposition 47 on state corrections, state courts, and the county criminal justice system, as well as the Governor’s budget proposals related to the proposition. We also provide recommendations for ensuring that the resulting state savings are spent in an effective manner.

Report

The 2015-16 Budget: Improved Budgeting for the Department of State Hospitals

February 9, 2015 - This report examines the budget of the Department of State Hospitals (DSH), which provides inpatient mental health services to patients in DSH’s eight facilities. It provides an overview of the various components of the department’s budget, and details how the department develops its annual budget requests. The report finds several shortcomings with the current budgeting process. To address these, the report provides recommendations for the Legislature to consider.

Handout

Restructuring the Court-Ordered Debt Collection Process

January 16, 2015 - An additional resource to our November 2014 report Restructuring the Court-Ordered Debt Collection Process.

Report

Restructuring the Court-Ordered Debt Collection Process

November 10, 2014 - As an additional resource, this handout gives a high level overview of the report.


Court-ordered debt collected from defendants convicted of traffic violations or criminal offenses provides revenue to a number of state and local funds, which in turn support a variety of programs including trial court operations and victim assistance. As a result, the state has an interest in ensuring that such debt is collected in a cost-effective manner that maximizes the amount of revenue available to support these programs. Based on our review of the existing collections process for court-ordered debt, we believe that improvements can be made to help increase collections of such debt and the amount of revenue available for distribution to various state and local funds. Specifically, we recommend: (1) realigning the current court-ordered debt collection process to the courts, (2) piloting a new collections incentive model that would reward courts for improving collections, and (3) improving data collection to enable comprehensive evaluations of the performance of collection programs.

Criminal Justice Staff

Anita Lee
(916) 319-8321
Courts, Department of Justice, Gambling
 
Caitlin O'Neil
(916) 319-8351
State Prisons, County Jails, Sentencing
 
Jared Sippel
(916) 319-8335
Emergency Services and Business Regulation
 
Orlando Sanchez Zavala
(916) 319-8307
Correctional Health Care, Rehabilitation Programs, Juvenile Justice, Community Corrections
 
Drew Soderborg
(916) 319-8346
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Public Safety and Business Regulation