(a) (1) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Board of State and Community Corrections shall award funding for a grant program to four or more county superior courts or county probation departments to create demonstration projects to reduce the recidivism of high-risk misdemeanor probationers.

(2) The demonstration projects shall use risk assessments at sentencing when a misdemeanor conviction results in a term of probation to identify high-risk misdemeanants and to place these misdemeanants on formal probation that combines supervision with individually tailored programs, graduated sanctions, or incentives that address behavioral or treatment needs to achieve rehabilitation and successful completion of probation. The formal probation program may include incentives such as shortening probation terms as probationers complete the individually tailored program or probation requirements.

Terms Used In California Penal Code 1210.2

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • county: includes "city and county". See California Penal Code 7
  • Evidence-based practices: refers to supervision policies, procedures, programs, and practices demonstrated by scientific research to reduce recidivism among individuals under probation, parole, or post release supervision. See California Penal Code 17.5
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the district and territories. See California Penal Code 7

(3) The demonstration projects shall evaluate the probation completion and recidivism rates for project participants and may compare them to control groups to evaluate program efficacy. The board shall determine criteria for awarding the grants on a competitive basis that shall take into consideration the ability of a county to conduct a formal misdemeanor probation project for high-risk misdemeanor probationers, including components that align with evidence-based practices in reducing recidivism, including, but not limited to, risk and needs assessment, programming to help with drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness, or housing, and the support of the superior court if the application is from a county probation department.

(b) The board shall develop reporting requirements for each county receiving a grant to report the results of the demonstration project. The reports may include, but are not limited to, the use of risk assessment, the formal probation program components, the number of individuals who were placed on formal probation, the number of individuals who were placed on informal probation, and the number of individuals in each group who were subsequently convicted of a new offense.

(c) (1) The board shall prepare a report that compiles the information it receives from each county receiving a grant, as described in subdivision (b). The report shall be completed and distributed to the Legislature and county criminal justice officials two years after an appropriation by the Legislature for this section.

(2) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with § 9795 of the Government Code.

(d) This section shall remain in effect until January 1, 2026, and as of that date is repealed.

(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 856, Sec. 6. (AB 2294) Effective September 30, 2022. Repealed as of January 1, 2026, by its own provisions.)

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