BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1890
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 26, 2000

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 
                              Carole Migden, Chairwoman

                 AB 1890 (Rod Pacheco) - As Amended:  April 3, 2000 

          Policy Committee:                              Public  
          SafetyVote:  8-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              \

           SUMMARY  

          This bill:

          1)Requires the Department of Corrections (CDC) to provide  
            adequate security for inmates working outside prison grounds  
            on road clean-up or fire crews so as to ensure that inmates do  

          not escape.

          2)Requires inmates working outside prison grounds on road crews  
            or fire crews to wear distinctive clothing for identification  
            purposes.

           FISCAL EFFECT
           
          Significant annual costs - likely in excess of $8 million for  
          additional security personnel and specialized clothing.

          Based on about 4,500 camp inmates in 38 camps, if each camp,  
          which currently has two correctional officers on duty at all  
          time, in addition to California Department of Forestry (CDF)  
          personnel, added four full-time correctional officers to provide  
          each crew of 20 inmates correctional officer security during the  
          daytime, annual personnel costs would increase by about $8  
          million. Regarding distinctive clothing, if CDC could make or  
          procure bright and durable coveralls for $25 apiece, the cost of  
          9,000 units would be about $225,000. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . Last month, an inmate walked away from a fire crew  








                                                                  AB 1890
                                                                  Page  2

            clearing brush at the California Citrus State Historic Park  
            near Riverside. The inmate later kidnapped a 16-year-old  
            female and forced her to drive him to Bakersfield. A CDF fire  
            captain was supervising the 18-member crew when the inmate,  
            wearing prison-issue denim shirts and pants, walked away. No  
            one was injured as a result of the kidnapping.

           2)Background  . CDF runs the CDC camp program. Inmates are housed  
            in dorms in various camps throughout the state. Inmates in the  
            firefighter program are all classified as low security risks.  
            During the non-fire season, these inmates perform community  
            service projects such as cleaning parks and re-roofing  
            buildings. Correctional officers are assigned to each camp,  
            and there are two correctional officers on duty each shift.  
            Work details and fire-lines are supervised by CDF personnel,  
            trained by the CDC to prevent "walkaways".  CDF captains are  
            required to conduct inmate counts every half-hour.

           3)Generally walkaways are not a serious problem  because (a) the  
            inmates are low level security risks with minimal time left to  
            serve; and (b) most of the time the crews are working in  
            remote areas where there is nowhere to go and few immediate  
            temptations to stray. 

            There were 15 walkaways in 1999.



           Analysis Prepared by  :    Geoff Long / APPR. / (916)319-2081