Amended  IN  Assembly  April 18, 2022
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 3431 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 create a 4-phase would, contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature, create a 3-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: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 Section 3431 is added to the Penal Code, to read:

3431.
 (a) The department shall, on or before July 1, 2023, establish a five-year reentry services pilot program to provide comprehensive, structured reentry services for not less than 300 women released from state prison to parole or postrelease community supervision. The program 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.
(4) Provide higher education, occupational training, and workforce development designed to increase program participants’ successful reentry.
(5) Provide wraparound case management services and continuity of care, subsidized part-time employment, and housing assistance that would equip women with the tools, stability, support, training, and education required for upward career mobility, economic self-sufficiency, and long-term reentry success.
(b) The department shall enter into contracts with community-based organizations to administer and facilitate the program in collaboration with peer navigators, transitional housing providers, and workforce development service providers, including, but not limited to, the California Workforce Development Board, and provide comprehensive case management services to program participants throughout the program, expand access to and analysis of in-reach services, ensure continuity of services throughout the program, and provide technological tools necessary to coordinate case management services, streamline assessments and communication between service providers, increase program participants’ access to community resources and employment opportunities, and provide analysis of the program’s overall performance and efficacy.
(c) The program shall consist of the following three structured phases for program participants:
(1) A prerelease phase of 6 to 12 months, which shall be completed prior to the individuals release date and include all of the following:
(A) Program enrollment.
(B) Comprehensive case management services, which shall continue throughout each phase of the program.
(C) The following assessments:
(i) Women Risks/Needs Assessments (WRNA) or other evidence-based risk/needs assessments for women.
(ii) Character assessments.
(iii) Career assessments.
(iv) Strengths-based assessments.
(D) An individualized reentry plan, which shall include a plan for housing and career development.
(E) Basic skills programs and trainings, including, but not limited to, basic computer literacy training, financial literacy, leadership development, job readiness services, career pathway programs, parenting courses, and life skills courses. The program may include other types of rehabilitative programming appropriate for the individual needs of program participants.
(F) Continuity of services, including, but not limited to, Medi-Cal, CalAIM, CalFresh, and CalWORKs.
(2) A transition and reintegration phase, which shall begin upon a participant’s release from incarceration, last for a period of up to six months, and include all of the following:
(A) Warm handoffs to service providers, including, but not limited to, medical and mental health service providers, which shall continue throughout the program.
(B) Comprehensive wraparound services, including, but not limited to, family reunification, building a support network, therapy, self-rebuilding, and counseling. The program may include other types of services appropriate for the individual needs of program participants.
(C) Education and workforce development services, which include employment case management, certification programs, options for two-year and four-year college degrees, and accredited vocational and occupational training programs.
(D) Continued basic skills programs and trainings, as needed.
(E) Placement in transitional housing.
(3) A postrelease and aftercare phase, which shall begin upon a participant’s successful completion of the transition and reintegration phase and shall include all of the following:
(A) Enrollment into a subsidized employment program that provides up to 18 months of subsidized, part-time employment. Program participants shall be enrolled in education or workforce development services pursuant to subparagraphs (D) and (E) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) to be eligible for the subsidized employment program.
(B) Enrollment into a housing program that provides up to 18 months of supportive housing assistance.
(i) Supporting housing assistance shall consist of either continued placement in transitional housing or a housing rental stipend based on the individual needs of program participants.
(ii) Program participants shall be enrolled in the subsidized employment program or maintain at least eight hours per week of unsubsidized employment and participate in education or workforce development services pursuant to subparagraphs (D) and (E) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) to be eligible for supportive housing assistance.
(d) On or before July 1, 2026, the department shall submit a report to the Legislature with its findings on the effectiveness of the pilot program. A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(e) The operation of this section is contingent upon appropriation of funds from the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or upon another statute for purposes of this section.

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.