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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03121991 - 1.29 G 1-029 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS sE L• Contra ttE..1-,,, ••.oF L FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator ~ f Costa nl s Count March 6, 1991 -1 Y DATE: SUBJECT: LEGISLATION - SB 450 (Boatwright) SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: Acknowledge that the Board of Supervisors is the SPONSOR of SB 450 by Senator Boatwright, which authorize the Probation , Department, rather than the Courts to determine the ability of a probationer to pay fees to cover the cost of Probation investigations and supervision. BACKGROUND: One of the items on the Board' s 1991 Legislative Program calls for legislation which would delegate to the County Probation Officer the authority the courts now have to set the fees for probationers to pay for various probation services. SB 450 has now been introduced by Senator Boatwright to accomplish this. Under current law, a county may adopt an ordinance to implement a procedure whereby a court, after a hearing, may make a determination regarding the ability of a defendant to pay all or a portion of the reasonable cost of probation and of conducting the presentence investigation and preparing the presentence report. Following an evaluation of the ability of the defendant to pay all or a portion of these costs, the court can determine that the defendant has the ability to pay all or a portion of the costs, set the amount the defendant is required to pay and require the defendant to pay that amount. The authority to require such payment applies only to those cases in which the defendant is actually granted probation. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMEftv T. S YES SIGNATURE: / Z RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE K APPROVE OTHER ti SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON March 12,_ 1991 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT—mss+^ ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. , CC: ATTESTED MAR 12 1991 PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Please see Page 2. SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY DEPUTY M382 (10/88) SB 450 would delegate the authority to determine the ability to pay, to set the amount to be paid and to set the amount of each payment to the County Probation Officer, rather than the court. The bill would also expand the circumstances under which payment could be sought to include preplea or presentence investigations where the individual is not actually granted probation. The defendant would have a right of appeal to the court if the defendant believes the decision made by the County Probation Officer was unfair or inappropriate. The County Probation Officer believes that delegating this authority to his Office will increase the number of cases in which such fees are sought. Expanding the circumstances under which such fees can be sought to include prepiea and presentence investigations which do not result in a defendant being granted probation should also generate some additional revenue. Since the Board of Supervisors has included such legislation in its 1991 Legislative. Program, it is appropriate for the Board to acknowledge that it is the sponsor of SB 450. cc: County Administrator Superior Court Administrator Gerald S. Buck, County Probation Officer George Roemer, Director, Justice Systems Programs Les Spahnn, SRJ. Jackson, Barish & Associates (Via CAO)