AB 1929: Inspector General: rehabilitation programs.

Existing law creates the Office of the Inspector General that is responsible for contemporaneous oversight of internal affairs investigations and the disciplinary process of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Existing law requires the Inspector General, when requested by the Governor, the Senate Committee on Rules, or the Speaker of the Assembly, to review policies, practices, and procedures of the department. Upon completion of the review, the Inspector General is required to prepare a public written report, as described, to be posted on its Internet Web site and a complete written report to be disclosed in confidence, along with all underlying materials the Inspector General deems appropriate, to the above-described entities who requested the review, as specified, and the appropriate law enforcement agency.

This bill would require the Inspector General, commencing July 1, 2019, to develop and implement a monitoring program that evaluates all rehabilitation programs operated by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for adult inmates and parolees, as specified. The bill would require the evaluation report to include an analysis of whether the programs are evidence based, as specified. The bill would require the Inspector General to report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, the Assembly and Senate Committees on Public Safety, and the Governor biannually, on or before March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning in 2020 and concluding in 2029. The bill would require the department to contract with one or more outside independent researchers or research organizations, as described, to conduct cost-effectiveness evaluations relating to reductions in recidivism, as specified, of rehabilitation programs operated by the department and funded by the state for adult inmates and parolees. The bill would require the Inspector General to monitor the contracting process, as specified. The bill would require the department, in consultation with the Inspector General, General and the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board, to issue requests for proposals on or before July 1, 2019, for the cost-effectiveness evaluation studies and would express the intent of the Legislature that the studies be completed and reported on or before January 1, 2024.