Leno-Benoit Plan To Save Prison Costs, Improve Public Safety Clears Major Hurdle
California Political Desk
June 17, 2009
SACRAMENTO – A bipartisan plan to improve public safety in California, introduced by Senators Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and John J. Benoit (R-Bermuda Dunes), cleared the Assembly Public Safety Committee on unanimous votes. Senate Bills 431 and 678 are innovative, outcome-based community probation reforms, designed jointly by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, to relieve prison overcrowding.
"The high rate of failure in probation programs should alarm all California taxpayers," commented Senator Benoit. "Our bills will improve probation oversight and reward efficient local probation programs. I´m proud of our bipartisan teamwork to improve public safety and cut prison costs by aggressively targeting repeat offenders."
"California has about 270,000 convicted felons on probation who receive little or no supervision," said Senator Leno. "Many of these lower-level offenders are prime candidates for intensive intervention practices that break the cycle of criminal behavior. With this approach we can improve probation success rates, save the State money by reducing our prison population, and keep our communities safe from repeat offenders."
About 40 percent of California´s new admissions to State prison are offenders who have failed on felony probation. These offenders are currently under community supervision, but little is being done to stop their cycle of offending. The bipartisan proposal from Senators Leno and Benoit reduces this failure rate by investing in community probation. The bills are specifically designed to pay for themselves. As the State saves on reduced prison admissions, those savings are passed on to local probation departments based on their individual success rates.
SB 678 (Leno-Benoit) enacts the California Community Corrections Performance Incentive Act of 2009. Based on an Arizona model, the bill creates a program that would share State savings with community probation programs when they improve supervision of felony probations and, as a result, help lower California´s prison admissions.
SB 431 (Benoit-Leno), a companion bill to SB 678, requires an adult probationer´s county of residence to facilitate the offender´s supervision. In some jurisdictions, up to 40 percent of the adults on probation are supervised by a probation officer outside the offender´s home county. Consequently, some probationers are either under duplicative supervision or may be completely unsupervised. SB 431 improves probation oversight and facilitates an offender´s reintegration into the community.
"California has a great opportunity to improve public safety and save money by investing in the local probation system," said Chief Probation Officers of California President Don Meyer. "We are making great progress toward this goal through bipartisan legislation, co-authored by Democratic Senator Mark Leno and Republican Senator John J. Benoit, that would effectively use probation to reduce criminal recidivism and increase public safety. Modeled after the highly successful juvenile probation system, Senate Bill 678 and Senate Bill 431 represent a comprehensive approach to improve California's adult criminal justice system. These two bills represent a significant step toward overall criminal justice reform that make California safer and makes efficient use of our tax dollars."
"The high rate of failure in probation programs should alarm all California taxpayers," commented Senator Benoit. "Our bills will improve probation oversight and reward efficient local probation programs. I´m proud of our bipartisan teamwork to improve public safety and cut prison costs by aggressively targeting repeat offenders."
"California has about 270,000 convicted felons on probation who receive little or no supervision," said Senator Leno. "Many of these lower-level offenders are prime candidates for intensive intervention practices that break the cycle of criminal behavior. With this approach we can improve probation success rates, save the State money by reducing our prison population, and keep our communities safe from repeat offenders."
About 40 percent of California´s new admissions to State prison are offenders who have failed on felony probation. These offenders are currently under community supervision, but little is being done to stop their cycle of offending. The bipartisan proposal from Senators Leno and Benoit reduces this failure rate by investing in community probation. The bills are specifically designed to pay for themselves. As the State saves on reduced prison admissions, those savings are passed on to local probation departments based on their individual success rates.
SB 678 (Leno-Benoit) enacts the California Community Corrections Performance Incentive Act of 2009. Based on an Arizona model, the bill creates a program that would share State savings with community probation programs when they improve supervision of felony probations and, as a result, help lower California´s prison admissions.
SB 431 (Benoit-Leno), a companion bill to SB 678, requires an adult probationer´s county of residence to facilitate the offender´s supervision. In some jurisdictions, up to 40 percent of the adults on probation are supervised by a probation officer outside the offender´s home county. Consequently, some probationers are either under duplicative supervision or may be completely unsupervised. SB 431 improves probation oversight and facilitates an offender´s reintegration into the community.
"California has a great opportunity to improve public safety and save money by investing in the local probation system," said Chief Probation Officers of California President Don Meyer. "We are making great progress toward this goal through bipartisan legislation, co-authored by Democratic Senator Mark Leno and Republican Senator John J. Benoit, that would effectively use probation to reduce criminal recidivism and increase public safety. Modeled after the highly successful juvenile probation system, Senate Bill 678 and Senate Bill 431 represent a comprehensive approach to improve California's adult criminal justice system. These two bills represent a significant step toward overall criminal justice reform that make California safer and makes efficient use of our tax dollars."