California Has been substantial modifications to its criminal laws. In 2011, AB 109 altered the responsibility of many felony offenders from the country to the counties. In 2014, Proposition 47 re-designated many thieving and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. In 2016, Proposition 57 permitted serious felony offenders early release on parole. Regarding the question of if these continuing changes reduce jail populations or create our nation less secure, time will tell. What's clear is that this is a remarkably difficult time to become a California law enforcement officer or prosecutor. Whether your DA's office disagrees or agrees with Sacramento's modifications, we'll continue to impose our nation's legislation in a just way consistent with our oath, duties, and duties.

Last year's Legislative session comprised lots of changes to our criminal justice system. Below are summaries of every new law affecting the criminal justice system together with Senate Bills called"SB" and Assembly Bills as"AB". Four new legislation (AB 1506, AB 1950, AB 3070, and AB 3234) can significantly affect the criminal justice system. Where appropriate as well as lately signed legislation, I've included a brief comment segment. Adhering to the laws is a part, with no comment, regarding Propositions about the Nov. 3, 2020 ballot which affects the criminal justice system.

Throughout the 2020 Legislative Session

SB-823:

Starting July 1, 2021, SB-823 will stage out California's staying juvenile prisons. Called Realignment, this procedure will replace juvenile prisons using an Office of Youth and Community Restoration and ship grants to counties to give custody and oversight.

Opinion: In Plumas County, we are lucky it's extremely rare for a juvenile criminal to commit a crime resulting in a sentence at a state facility (previously known as the California Youth Authority).

 AB-901: Juveniles

(Removes Juvenile Court from Truancy)

Effective January 1, 2021, AB-901 finishes the custom of referring youth that are having difficulties in college to marriage programs. It repeals the court's ability to require a pupil who's insubordinate or disorderly to be brought to school every day, and it eliminates the ability of the court to adjudge a little as a ward of the court because of routinely refusing to comply with orders of college authorities. 

Opinion: The Truancy Prevention Team (DA Researchers operating in conjunction with Plumas County colleges ) requires a spot-on strategy to truancy. It's a rare event where a pupil's truancy reaches a stage where judicial intervention is required.

 AB-1185 County Board of Supervisors: Sheriff Oversight

AB-1185 Requires A county to set up both a sheriff oversight board and a portion of the inspector general to help the board of managers with responsibilities as they relate to the prosecution. Moreover, this law prohibits the chair of the oversight board and also the inspector general to issue a subpoena or subpoena duces tecum (subpoena together with the creation of proof ) to explore a matter in their jurisdiction.

Opinion: Our Sheriff's Office has traditionally and always maintained a constructive and effective relationship with all our Board of Supervisors and with its law enforcement partners at the local, state, and national level.

AB-1196: Peace Officers Use of Force

Signed by Governor Newsomthis new law prohibits using chokeholds (i.e. use of stress to an individual's windpipe) and carotid retains (i.e. use of pressure to impede the circulation of blood into the brain) by law enforcement.

SB-1290: Juveniles Costs

(Eliminates Court-Ordered Charges Children were Ordered to invest in Juvenile Cases)

Effective January 1, 2021, SB-1290 will cancel particular charges for juvenile offenders and their families. Especially, SB-1290 vacates court-ordered prices before January 1, 2018, for parents or guardians of juveniles, minors that were arranged to take part in substance and drug abuse testing, and adults 21 and under at the time of their house detention.

AB-1506: Police Use of Force

Involved Shooting Investigations from the County into the State)

AB-1506 requires The Attorney General to explore deadly police shootings of unarmed civilians and makes a new branch within the Department of Justice to examine the use-of-force coverage and make recommendations. Beginning on July 1, 2023, the Attorney General will run a Police Practices Division within the section to reassess the use of lethal force policies of their law enforcement agency and make recommendations.

Opinion: Plumas County currently operates under an Officer-Involved Shooting MOU constituted of Plumas County law enforcement agencies and headed by the District Attorney's Office. This partnership and strategy have shown both successful and helpful to the community throughout both officer-involved shootings which happened in the previous ten decades. AB 1506 will eliminate local agencies in the analysis, charging prosecution and decision of officer-involved shootings. 

Produced to Discriminate have been Hate Crimes)

Under AB-1775, Building a false 911 call on the grounds of discrimination--of somebody's race, cultural background, sex, religion, or sexual orientation--is a hate crime. Making this type of call may result in a misdemeanor sentence of up to a year in prison plus a fine of around $2,000. Moreover, this law makes it possible for the sufferer to file a lawsuit against the man who made the bogus 911 call.

AB-1775: False Reports and Harassment

(Reduce Maximum Period of Probation)

This legislation caps Legislation to a maximum of one year for misdemeanor crimes (unless the statute provides otherwise) and 2 years for felony crimes, with a few exceptions.

Opinion: The decrease in available time to manage and rehabilitate may detrimentally impact rehab in some specific crimes. On a related note, the reduction in the number of individuals currently cheated on probation will last as a consequence of AB 1950. Probation's caseload, because of 2014's Prop 47, has decreased from 433 in 2010 to 157 in 2019 -- a 63.7percent decrease.

AB-2321:

(Assist to Australian Nationals Victimized by Juvenile Offenders)

AB-2321 supplies Immigration aid to overseas nationals victimized by juvenile criminals. Formerly, documents of juvenile criminals have been sealed; the law prohibits a judge or prosecutor restricted access to be able to process the petition of a victim or victim's relative to reevaluate victim helpfulness on given United States Department of Homeland Security forms.

AB-2542: California Racial Justice Act

The California Racial Justice Act makes it possible for a person charged or convicted of a crime to fight racial prejudice in their situation, upon a prima facie showing. If a defendant is effective in demonstrating that racial prejudice played a part in their situation, they might qualify for a new trial or sentence.

AB-2606: Update PRCS Records)

Beneath AB-2606, each County probation department or another supervising county service should upgrade any supervised discharge file that's available to them CLETS. 

AB-3043: Corrections -- Confidential Calls

(Confidential Calls Involving Prison Inmate and Attorney)

Past Regulations allow an inmate to produce a confidential telephone call, as explained, with their lawyer just as accepted on a case-by-case foundation by the establishment. Underneath the newest AB-3043, the section is needed to accept a lawyer's request to make confidential calls and also to supply the inmate at least 30 minutes per month, per instance, to make those calls unless the inmate or lawyer asks less time. This change will be effective on January 1, 2021.

Propositions Impacting Criminal Justice (Election Tuesday, November 3, 2020)

California Proposition 17: Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole (2020)

Presently, California disqualifies individuals with felonies from voting before their imprisonment and their parole are finished. Prop 17 would keep the first imprisonment requirement but eliminate the parole requirement. If passed, this amendment will restore an individual's right to vote upon completion of the prison term whilst in the process of finishing parole.

California Proposition 20: Criminal Sentencing, Parole, and DNA Group Initiative (2020)

Back in 2011 and 2016, Steps were passed to decrease the nation's prison population. These changes altered nonviolent inmate imprisonment in the country to the county level reclassified many offenses from felonies or wobblers (an offense together with the capability to be categorized as either a felony or misdemeanor) into misdemeanors and enhanced parole opportunities for felons convicted of nonviolent offenses. If passed, Prop 20 would add offenses to the record of violent felonies for which ancient parole is restricted, restore particular kinds of fraud and theft offenses as wobblers (chargeable as a felony or misdemeanor), also need DNA collection in certain misdemeanor cases.