December 1, 2011
Public Safety Realignment and the Probation Department
The Public Safety Realignment Bill, known popularly as AB 109, was signed into law by Governor Brown on April 5, 2011. It represents the most sweeping changes to community corrections in a generation. Realignment focuses on several aspects of criminal sentencing, punishment, and community supervision. Certain offenders now are categorized as Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS), those convicted for various non-serious, non-violent, non-sex related offenses. Rather than being committed to state prison as in the past, they now serve their sentences in local jails. The legislation also transferred the responsibility for supervising these offenders upon their release to local county jurisdiction- county probation departments rather than state parole. Provisions of this bill took effect on October 1, 2011. Other key components include a mandate that offenders be released to the counties where they lived when the crime was committed; and one that prevents them from being sent to prison for violation of their terms of supervision. Realignment also requires probation departments to utilize programs that have proven records of success for the treatment and rehabilitation of these offenders.
Realignment mandates that probation departments perform the job of supervising these PRCS offenders similar to those already placed on probation. With AB 109, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is required to classify offenders only by the present committed offense. In other words, a person with a history of violence or serious crime, but has a less serious current conviction, qualifies for local incarceration and probation supervision pursuant to AB 109...
LINK - BlackVoiceNews.com
