What is Realignment?
One of The Largest Transformations in Recent Criminal
Justice History!
Implemented at an Unprecedented Speed Compared to Other Government Reforms
Definitions• Community Corrections Panel (CCP)• Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS)• LA County Called Post-Released Supervised Person
(PSP)• Post-Release Community Supervision (PCS)• 3N’s ~ N3: Non-Violent, Non-Sexual, Non-Serious• CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)• State Prison Offense • County Jail Incarceration • Parole• Probation• Recidivism
Components to Realignment• Transfer of Parole Supervision to Probation Supervision
• Redefining Supervision and Sanctions• Reclassification of Over 500 Prior State Prison Felonies• County Jail Incarceration for N3 Offenses (Penal Code
1170(h))• Increase Credits for Custody Time• Elimination of Parole for N3 Offenses• Split Sentencing• Parole Violation Hearings to Local Courts• Charging and Sentencing Guidelines Restructured• Redefining Recidivism
A HUGE SOCIAL EXPERIMENT???
Why Realign?
• Prison Overcrowding• Coleman/Plata v. Schwarzenegger
• Budget• Criminologist and Evidence Based Theories
PUBLIC SAFETY WAS NOT A TOP CONSIDERATION
From Parole to Probation Supervision• Transferred all N3 Prisoners from Parole to Probation
Supervision• Limited Supervision Reduced from three (3) years to one
(1) year, Unless Violations Occur that Could Cause Revocations
• Flash Incarceration / Intermediate Sanctions• Maximum 180 Day Custodial Sanction • Supervising Agency may Release after six (6) months with
no Supervision and/or Mandates for one (1) year if there were no Violations
• Transfers all Rehabilitation Efforts to County including: Mental Health, Social Services and Drug Treatment.
Reclassification of Felonies
• Penal Code 1170(h) Reclassified 500 Previous Felonies to County Jail
• Increased Custody Credits to Reduce Incarceration Time up to 50%
• Elimination of Parole; no Supervision for N3 Offenses after time is served
• Creation of a new Sentencing Structure and SPLIT SENTENCING
• Restructuring Sentence and Charging Guard Lines
A Social Experiment
• Speed of Change • Lack of Available Data and Research• Driven by Money, Overcrowding and Politics
• What Happened to AB 900? (No Discussion of Adding Capacity)
• Lack of Preparation to Implement Change• Crime Impact v. Speed of Implementation
HUGE GAMBLE WITH PUBLIC SAFETY
The Gardena Experience• Strategic Planning for Significant
Organizational Change• Maintaining Public Safety as a Priority• Creation of a Special Enforcement Unit
• 800K a year• City Data Collection and Mapping
• Anecdotal Evidence for Concern
SIMILAR EXPERIENCES BY OTHER JURISDICTIONS
Gardena’s Approach
• One Captain• Super Department
• Police• Streets• Development Services
• Contract Employees• Special Enforcement Unit (SEU)
Formation
Hope For The Future
$6.9 Million Dollars coming to LA County
• Money will be shared by Local Jurisdictions to help deal with AB-109
• New Legislation: • N3 Tail• Cutting off monitoring bracelets• Flash incarceration• Clean up language for state prison
felonies