Proposition 47: evaluation study.

Existing law, enacted by Proposition 47, as approved by the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, requires misdemeanors instead of felony sentences for certain nonserious, nonviolent crimes, like petty theft and drug possession. Proposition 47 also creates the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, that is funded by savings that accrue to the state from the implementation of the proposition. Existing law requires, in part, 65% of the moneys deposited in the fund to be disbursed to the Board of State and Community Corrections to administer a grant program to fund public agencies that support mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, and diversion programs for people in the criminal justice system and 25% of the moneys deposited in the fund be disbursed to the State Department of Education to administer a grant program to public agencies aimed at improving outcomes for public school pupils, as specified. Proposition 47 provides that its provisions may be amended by a statute that is consistent with and furthers its intent and that is passed by a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and is signed by the Governor. Proposition 47 also provides that the Legislature may, by majority vote, amend, add, or repeal provisions to further reduce the penalties for offenses it addresses. This bill would require the Department of Finance to select a public or private university through a competitive process to conduct a 4 year evaluation assessing the process, outcomes, and costs of Proposition 47, including the number and characteristics of participants served by programs funded with grant moneys from the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund. The bill would require the selected university to report to the Legislature, no later than January 1, 2017, and annually by that date for the following 3 years. The bill would require that all data collected for the report be made publically available. The bill would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2021. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to compile state summary criminal history information and to provide that information to specified agencies and persons, as specified. This bill would require the department to gather and compile information regarding the number of people released from state prisons and county jails pursuant to the provisions of Proposition 47 and the number of people released who are rearrested or reincarcerated within 3 years as compared to similar populations in the criminal justice system.