Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/399988
ByDonThompson TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO California's attorney general has re- leased a statewide defini- tion of recidivism — a term used for ex-cons who com- mit new crimes — that con- flicts with one being devel- oped by a corrections-re- lated board overseen by Gov. Jerry Brown. The disagreement is im- portant because it will help determine whether the gov- ernor's sweeping changes to the criminal justice system are considered a success. The emerging conflict also has the potential to create con- fusion among California's lo- callawenforcementagencies. Attorney General Kamala Harris sent district attor- neys, probation chiefs and local law enforcement agen- cies her proposed statewide definition Thursday. She wants to count any ex-convict who is charged with a new felony or misde- meanor within three years of release for a previous of- fense. She also is unveiling a new data collection sys- tem based on her definition. But Brown's Board of State and Community Cor- rections is required by state law to develop its own def- inition of recidivism. The proposal to be consid- ered by the board during its Nov. 13 meeting would count only offenders who are convicted of a new fel- ony or misdemeanor within three years — not just ar- rested and charged. That narrower defini- tion would significantly lower California's officially reported recidivism rate, one of the goals of Brown's criminal justice law. The law, commonly re- ferred to as realignment, took effect in 2011 and sends lower-level offend- ers to county jails instead of state prisons. It was in- tended as a way to comply with federal court orders to reduce the state's inmate population. Officials could not imme- diately say how many peo- ple are charged in Califor- nia each year with a misde- meanor or felony but never convicted. Counting those who com- mit new crimes is crucial to gauging whether crime is increasing or decreas- ing since California began keeping less serious offend- ers in county jails. Before Brown's realignment law, California's recidivism rate was 67 percent, one of the nation's highest. Counties that are dealing with the influx of prisoners since Brown's law took ef- fect have conflicting defi- nitions of recidivism, or in some cases no definition at all. A survey of 540 law en- forcement officials by Har- ris' state Department of Justice found 60 percent had no formal definition and one-third made no at- tempt to track how often criminals committed new crimes. "Universally defining re- cidivism is a fundamentally important issue if we are to be smart on crime," Harris said in her letter to law en- forcement officials. "How- ever, California lacks any uniform or standard way to measure the rate of in- dividuals who re-commit crimes." Harris also is announc- ing a standardized way for local agencies to track re- cidivism, called the Cali- fornia Recidivism Index. The information would let her department track how quickly criminals are charged with new crimes. Linda Penner, chair- woman of the Board of State and Community Cor- rections and Brown's pub- lic safety liaison, said the Justice Department and any other agency is free to develop its own policy, but that the board's definition will be the one that counts. "There's just one that is based on statute," Penner said. Attorney general spokes- man David Beltran said his office's version is based on the work of law enforce- ment officers and prosecu- tors. PRISONS State agencies are at odds over counting new crimes www.davesboots.com DannerSuperRainForest instockcloseoutReg$369-385sale $300 Prison Blues Logging Shirts in stock closeout $20. Women's Coral and Ferrini Western Boots Reg. $229-239 sale $189 Men's Carolina Work Boots Reg. $139 sale $109 Women's Danner Hunting Boots Reg.$139 sale $109 All Danner Pronghorn Hunting Boots in stock Reg. $189-219 sale $150 Non insulated $160 Insulated (530) 529-5466 478 Antelope Blvd, Red Bluff 1/4 mile west of the Fairgrounds FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 7 A