AB 2590: Sentencing: restorative justice.

Existing law provides legislative findings and declarations that the purpose of imprisonment for crime is punishment and that the elimination of disparity and the provision of uniformity of sentences can best be achieved by determinate sentences fixed by statute in proportion to the seriousness of the offense, as specified. Existing law further provides that, notwithstanding those provisions, the Legislature finds and declares that programs should be available for inmates, including, but not limited to, educational programs, that are designed to prepare nonviolent felony offenders for successful reentry into the community. Existing law encourages the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to give priority enrollment in programs to promote successful return to the community to inmates with short remaining terms of commitment, as specified.

This bill would instead make legislative findings and declarations that the purpose of sentencing is public safety achieved through punishment, rehabilitation, and restorative justice. The bill would amend the above legislative findings and declarations to remove the provision relating to determinate sentences and to state that educational, rehabilitative, and restorative justice programs should be available, as specified, and would encourage the department to allow all eligible inmates the opportunity to enroll in programs that promote successful return to the community.

This bill would also direct the department to establish a mission statement consistent with the principles described in the legislative findings and declarations.

Under existing law, most felonies are punishable by a triad of terms of incarceration in the state prison, comprised of low, middle, and upper lengths of terms. Until January 1, 2017, the choice of the appropriate term that is to best serve the interests of justice rests within the sound discretion of the court. On and after January 1, 2017, existing law requires the court to impose the middle term, unless there are circumstances in aggravation or mitigation of the crime.

This bill would extend to January 1, 2022, the authority of the court to, in its sound discretion, impose the appropriate term that best serves the interests of justice. The bill would, on and after January 1, 2022, require the court to impose the middle term, unless there are circumstances in aggravation or mitigation of the crime.

This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1170 of the Penal Code, proposed by SB 1084, that would become operative only if this bill and SB 1084 are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2017, and this bill is chaptered last.