Bill Text: CA AB2250 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 2250 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Prisoners: reentry.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-19 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB2250 Detail]

Download: California-2021-AB2250-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly March 24, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2250

Introduced by Assembly Member Mia Bonta

February 16, 2022

An act to add Section 5007.4 to the Penal Code, relating to prisoners.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2250, as amended, Mia Bonta. Prisoners: reentry.

Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to establish parole reentry and assessment programs for inmates in state prison in order to assess an inmate prior to release and to assist with the inmate’s reentry into the community while on parole. Existing law establishes the California Reentry and Enrichment Grant Program to provide grants to community-based programs that provide rehabilitative services to incarcerated individuals.

This bill would ~~express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation pertaining to the successful reentry of formerly incarcerated people into society.~~ create a 4-phase pilot program for women being released from prison that would, among other things, be responsive to each woman’s gender and culture, create an individualized reentry program, develop professional skills, provide assistance in the form of subsidies, and focus on family reunification, as provided.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NOYES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 5007.4 is added to the Penal Code, to read:

5007.4.
(a) The department shall create a reentry pilot program for women being released from prison, which shall do all of the following:
(1) Have a gender- and cultural-responsive focus.
(2) Be trauma informed and family focused, include women-only spaces, and have peer navigators who have undergone culturally competent training to adequately address the differences and needs of women of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
(3) Address the unique causative factors, criminogenic needs, and supportive services required by women of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
(b) The program shall consist of the following four distinct phases implemented through outsourced, community-based organizations:
(1) A prerelease phase of six months’ duration, which shall include all of the following:
(A) Program enrollment and case management services.
(B) The following assessments:
(i) Women Risks/Needs Assessments (WRNA).
(ii) Character assessments.
(iii) Career assessments.
(iv) Strengths-based assessments.
(C) An individualized reentry plan, which shall include a career plan and identify the best location to be released based upon existing local infrastructure to support career development.
(2) A transition and reintegration phase of six months’ duration, which shall ensure basic needs are met and include all of the following:
(A) Continuity of services and warm handoffs to service providers.
(B) Comprehensive wraparound services and enrollment in programs such as basic computer skills training, financial literacy, job readiness services, counseling, and individual needs.
(C) Basic needs, therapy, and self-rebuilding within the first 90 days of the transition and reintegration phase.
(D) Family reunification, building support network, enrollment into career pathway programs, enrollment into subsidized, part-time employment, and enrollment into subsidized housing rental assistance within the second 90 days of the transition and reintegration phase.
(3) A postrelease phase of 6 to 18 months’ duration, which shall include all of the following:
(A) Subsidized, part-time employment to ensure income and on-the-job training.
(B) Subsidized housing rental assistance to maintain housing stability while continuing career development training.
(C) Continuing education and programming for a 12-month extension beyond the initial 6-to-18-month postrelease phase.
(4) An aftercare followup phase of six months’ duration, which shall include all of the following:
(A) A one-hundred-dollar ($100) stipend to attend monthly meetings.
(B) Evaluation of case management records, including barriers, challenges, and progress after subsidized employment and housing periods.
(C) Evaluation of program efficacy and reduction of long-term recidivism rates.
(c) Monies shall be allocated for all of the following:
(1) A reentry peer navigator program for continuity of services after prerelease for a three-year period, case coordination and warm handoff services, and a centralized location for recording overall program performance metrics and evaluation of program efficacy.
(2) Housing stabilization services that provide up to two years of subsidized and supportive housing allowance.
(3) Subsidized part-time employment program that provides up to two years of subsidized, part-time employment allowance.
(d) The program shall leverage existing government and educational infrastructure to provide all of the following services:
(1) Workforce development services, including job readiness training, soft-skill training, on-the-job training, and career pathway programs.
(2) Higher education completion, including the completion of certification programs, two-year college degrees, and four-year college degrees.
(3) Public benefits, such as Medi-Cal, CalAIM, CalFresh, and CalWORKs, as well as access to counseling, mental health, and therapy services.

SECTION 1.
~~It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation pertaining to the successful reentry of formerly incarcerated people into society.~~