Young adults: deferred entry of judgment pilot program.

Existing law authorizes, only until January 1, 2020, the Counties of Alameda, Butte, Napa, Nevada, and Santa Clara to establish a pilot program to operate a deferred entry of judgment pilot program for eligible defendants. The pilot program authorizes a defendant to participate in the program within the county's juvenile hall if that person is charged with committing a felony offense, except as specified, he or she pleads guilty to the charge or charges, and the probation department determines that the person meets specified requirements, including that the defendant is 18 years of age or older, but under 21 years of age on the date the offense was committed, is suitable for the program, and shows the ability to benefit from services generally reserved for delinquents. Existing law requires a county to apply to the Board of State and Community Corrections for approval of a county institution as a suitable place for confinement for purposes of the pilot program prior to establishing a pilot program and requires the board to review and approve or deny the application, as specified. Existing law requires a county that establishes a pilot program to submit data regarding the pilot program to the board and requires the board to review the program to ensure compliance with specified requirements of federal law. Existing law requires the board to use the data submitted to it to conduct an evaluation of the pilot program's impact and effectiveness, to combine each evaluation into a comprehensive report, and to submit the comprehensive report to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Public Safety. Existing law also requires the probation department to submit data relating to the effectiveness of the program to the Division of Recidivism Reduction and Re-Entry within the Department of Justice. This bill would extend the operative date of the authorization to establish a pilot program in those counties to January 1, 2022, and would expand the scope of the program to include the County of Ventura. The bill would also require the board to submit the comprehensive report described above to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Public Safety no later than December 31, 2020. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Alameda, Butte, Napa, Nevada, Santa Clara, and Ventura.