The Promoting Reinvestment and Oversight Measures for Individual Success and Empowerment (P.R.O.M.I.S.E.) Act will ensure the effective investment of Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) grant dollars, which are intended to support youth locally and limit involvement in the justice system.
For the past twenty years, the state has spent approximately $100 million annually on the JJCPA grant program without adequate oversight or accountability, resulting in poor spending decisions. The majority of JJCPA funds have been spent on probation department staffing with most counties spending little to none on community organizations who have on-the-ground experience in supporting youth. A recent state audit found that many of the programs that received JJCPA funding failed to address youths’ needs and their reports did not track the program's effectiveness.
Youth arrests have declined by over 95 percent between 2000 and 2018, leaving far more vulnerable youth whose needs can only be met in the community. Over this time period, there have been massive declines in youth contact with probation – we need to fund programs that meet the needs of youth in our communities.
AB 1007 would invest in public health, education, and community organizations providing on-the-ground support.
This legislation will:
- Reinvest JJCPA dollars into communities by requiring counties to distribute at least 95 percent of allotted JJCPA funds to CBOs and/or public agencies that are non-law enforcement agencies.
- Ensure equal community representation in decision making by requiring counties’ Juvenile Justice Coordinating Councils, which decide how JJCPA funds are allocated, to allocate 50 percent of seats to community members.
- Strengthen county reporting and evaluation processes by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) to include critical evidence regarding youth served and program effectiveness.