ARIZONA STATE SENATE
VETOED
community transition program
Creates the community transition program (the program) for incarcerated criminal offenders and released offenders and appropriates $600,000 in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from each of the following funds: the alcohol abuse treatment fund and the drug treatment and education fund.
Numerous states provide prisoner transition programs prior to release. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice offers programs throughout its facilities, including some faith-based programs. One Texas program, Project RIO (Re-Integration of Offenders), is specifically designed to reduce the recidivism rate in Texas, which is the state with the second highest prison population. Project RIO has more than 100 staff members in 62 offices who provide job placement services for nearly 16,000 parolees each year in every Texas county. Idaho offers the Family Reunification Program designed to integrate incarcerated parents back into society and their families for the benefit of their children.
As of February 8, 2001,
Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) facilities contained 26,803
incarcerated persons. The average
number of incarcerated persons released annually over the last three years is
13,090.
H.B. 2563 appropriates a
total of $1.2 million in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the alcohol abuse treatment
fund and the drug treatment and education fund to fund the program.
The Governor's veto message states that although the establishment of the program is a worthy goal, the appropriations would have taken money from current programs that are effective.
1. Appropriates $600,000 in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the alcohol abuse treatment fund to the community transition fund.
2. Appropriates $600,000 in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the drug treatment and education fund to the community transition fund.
3. Requires the Department of Economic Security to establish the program by contracting with any private or nonprofit entity.
4. Requires a contracted private entity to establish a network that may include community and faith-based organizations to make mentoring services and assistance available to eligible persons both before and after the incarcerated person is released.
5. Requires the ADC Director to adopt rules that must include the following:
·
eligibility
criteria, including that a program participant must be an adult or juvenile
offender who will be released in 12 months and is incarcerated in a facility
under ADC jurisdiction and that the person agrees in writing to provide
specific information after release.
·
that
the contracted entity must train mentors or certify that mentors are trained.
·
services
that will be offered.
6. Requires all services to be coordinated between the contracted entity and ADC.
7. Requires ADC to conduct an annual study to determine recidivism of participants in the program, to evaluate the person before determining eligibility and to provide the eligibility information to the director and the contracted entity, which will then make the final determination of program eligibility.
8. Permits the contracted entity to assist released program participants with employment, job training, transitional needs such as housing, food, health insurance coverage and medical assistance and allows the entity to provide a mentor.
9. Requires the private entity to coordinate with ADC in placing eligible persons in training programs that may include education courses, anger management, communication skills, drug treatment, alcohol treatment or character education.
10. Requires DES to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with ADC to locate at least two offices for the contracting private entity in any two facilities under ADC jurisdiction and requires the entity to maintain at least two offices located in at least two different cities and not located in a facility under ADC jurisdiction.
11. Requires ADC to submit an annual written report on the program to various elected officials and others that contains information including but not limited to recidivism rates of persons receiving services, the number of program participants and the number of persons on a waiting list to receive services.
12. Prohibits religious discrimination in awarding contracts.
13. Defines eligible person.
14. Makes technical and conforming changes.
15. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendments
Adopted by the Judiciary Committee
1. Eliminates the prerelease program and funding appropriated for that program.
2. Increases appropriations from two funds and eliminates the appropriation from the special services fund.
3. Eliminates the community transition program study committee.
4. Adds alcohol treatment to the list of subjects that may be taught in training programs.
5. Allows, rather than requires, certain services to be made available to eligible persons.
6. Allows ADC to contract with nonprofit entities in addition to private entities.
7. Makes technical and conforming changes.
3rd Read 46-7-7-0 3rd Read 4/26/01 21-8-1-0
Final Passage 4/30/01 48-7-5-0
Vetoed by the Governor 5/7/01
Prepared by Senate Staff
May 15, 2001