REFERENCE TITLE: criminal justice commission; membership; report

 

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-fourth Legislature

First Regular Session

2019

 

 

SB 1380

 

Introduced by

Senators Navarrete: Alston, Bowie, Bradley, Contreras, Dalessandro, Gonzales, Mendez, Rios, Steele; Representative Andrade

 

 

AN ACT

 

amending section 41‑2404, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to the Arizona criminal justice commission.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 


Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Section 41-2404, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE41-2404.  Arizona criminal justice commission; members; compensation; terms; meetings

A.  The Arizona criminal justice commission is established consisting of the following members:

1.  The attorney general or the attorney general's designee.

2.  The director of the department of public safety or the director's designee.

3.  The director of the state department of corrections or the director's designee.

4.  Fourteen members who are appointed by the governor or their designees.  No more than seven of these members may be from the same political party.

5.  The administrative director of the courts or the director's designee.

6.  The chairman of the board of executive clemency or the chairman's designee.

B.  The members who are appointed pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 4 of this section shall include at least one police chief, one county attorney and one county sheriff from a county with a population of one million five hundred thousand or more persons, one police chief, one county attorney and one county sheriff from a county with a population equal to or greater than eight hundred thousand persons but fewer than one million five hundred thousand persons and one police chief, one county attorney and one county sheriff from counties with a population of fewer than eight hundred thousand persons.  The remaining members shall include one law enforcement leader, one former judge, one mayor, one member of a county board of supervisors one public defender, one crime victim advocate, one representative from a nonprofit organization that provides education, counseling, treatment or housing to former prison inmates and one chief probation officer.

C.  Members who are appointed pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 4 of this section shall serve for terms of two years terminating on the convening of the first regular session of the legislature.  Any appointive member who ceases to be a member of the body the member represents on the commission is deemed to have resigned.  Appointments to fill a vacancy shall be made in the same manner as the original appointment.

D.  The commission shall meet and organize by electing from among its membership such officers as are deemed necessary or advisable.  The commission shall meet at least once during each calendar quarter and additionally as the chairman deems necessary, and a majority of the members constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business.

E.  Members of the commission are not eligible to receive compensation but are eligible for reimbursement of expenses pursuant to title 38, chapter 4, article 2. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.  Arizona criminal justice commission; report on recommendations for criminal justice reform; delayed repeal

A.  Pursuant to section 41‑2405, Arizona Revised Statutes, the Arizona criminal justice commission shall conduct a comprehensive review of this state's sentencing and corrections data and submit a report to the legislature on or before December 31, 2019 that includes data‑based policy recommendations to:

1.  Reduce prisoner recidivism rates.

2.  Improve the success of offenders who are released from prison by expanding reentry and treatment services.

3.  Revise sentencing laws to hold defendants accountable while still keeping communities safe.

4.  Reduce sentences for nonviolent offenses to reduce the prison population.

5.  Prioritize the use of prison beds for offenders who commit violent crimes instead of nonviolent crimes.

6.  Improve probation and parole supervision.

7.  Ensure oversight and accountability in the criminal justice system.

B.  The commission shall provide a copy of the report to the governor, the attorney general and the secretary of state.

C.  This section is repealed from and after June 30, 2020.

Sec. 3.  Terms of members of the Arizona criminal justice commission

A.  Notwithstanding section 41‑2404, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, a person who is serving as a member of the Arizona criminal justice commission pursuant to section 41-2404, subsection A, paragraph 4, Arizona Revised Statutes, on the effective date of this act is eligible to continue to serve until expiration of the current term of office.

B.  The governor shall make all subsequent appointments as prescribed by statute.

Sec. 4.  Legislative intent

The legislature intends to appropriate any cost savings that result from reducing the state's prison population and that were a result of changes made based on recommendations received from the Arizona criminal justice commission for the purpose of funding preschool programs and child care programs in this state.