Work furlough: county jails.

Existing law authorizes a county, upon approval by the board of supervisors, to establish a work furlough program. Existing law authorizes the board to designate a county facility and a work furlough administrator for the program, as specified. Existing law provides that when a person is convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to a county jail, the work furlough administrator may, if he or she concludes that the person is a fit subject to continue in his or her regular employment or job training program, direct that the person be permitted to continue in that employment or job training program, as specified, or may authorize the person to secure employment or local job training for himself or herself, unless the court at the time of sentencing or committing has ordered that the person not be granted work furloughs. Existing law describes job training for purposes of these provisions. Existing law, the 2011 Realignment Legislation addressing public safety and related statutes, requires that certain specified felonies be punished by a term of imprisonment in a county jail for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years and provides for postrelease community supervision by county officials for persons convicted of certain specified felonies upon release from prison or county jail. This bill would make a change to the work furlough provision described above and authorize a person sentenced to county jail for a felony to participate in a work furlough program. The bill would also make a technical change to the provision describing job training for purposes of these provisions.