 |
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
coordinated reentry; grants; appropriation
Purpose
Appropriates $20,000,000 from the Consumer Restitution Subaccount of the Consumer Restitution and Remediation Revolving Fund (Revolving Fund) in FY 2026 to the Attorney General (AG) to distribute Coordinated Reentry Planning Services Program (Reentry Program) grants to participating counties and outlines related reporting requirements.
Background
A county may establish a Reentry Program within a county jail for the
purpose of screening and assessing persons who are booked into the county jail
and connecting those persons with behavioral health and substance use disorder
treatment providers at the earliest possible stage in the criminal justice
process. A Reentry Program must: 1) allow entities to access and use a
cross-system recidivism tracking database; 2) work in conjunction with
counties, cities, towns and other political subdivisions of the state and with
superior courts to establish an information exchange mechanism; 3) establish
and maintain jail reentry planning services that includes treatment, peer
support, housing, transportation and employment services; 4) establish
agreements with coalition partners to use the cross-system recidivism tracking
database to record post release treatment engagement; and 5) use the
cross-system recidivism tracking database to record baseline and ongoing
statistics for identified needs (A.R.S.
§ 11-392).
The Consumer Restitution Subaccount of the Revolving Fund is administered by the AG and consists of monies collected or received by the AG as the result of a court order or as the result of a settlement or compromise for economic loss resulting from violations or alleged violations of consumer protection laws. Consumer Restitution Subaccount monies are continuously appropriated and are exempt from to lapsing. The AG may distribute any unexpended monies in the Consumer Restitution Subaccount to the Consumer Protection-Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund (A.R.S. § 44-1531.02).
S.B. 1312 appropriates $20,000,000 from the Consumer Restitution Subaccount of the Revolving Fund in FY 2026 to the AG to distribute grants to counties to establish or continue a Reentry Program.
Provisions
2. Requires a Reentry Program grant to be:
a) awarded on a two-year cycle; and
b) an award of up to $3,000,000 to an individual grant recipient over the two-year grant cycle.
3. Requires the AG to make available up to $2,000,000 over the two-year grant cycle for a statewide database to accommodate additional counties participating in the Reentry Program.
4. Deems Maricopa and Pima Counties as not eligible to receive Reentry Program grants.
5. Requires grantees, by the end of the two-year grant cycle, to be able to demonstrate:
a) the establishment of a formal coalition with a workgroup dedicated to establishing the Reentry Program's policies and procedures;
b) a dedicated Reentry Program staff located within the jail;
c) the installation of a statewide cross-system recidivism tracking database;
d) the establishment of data sharing agreements;
e) the incorporation of screening and assessment tools; and
f) a commitment to local contribution to the Reentry Program.
6. Requires, by December 1, 2027, and each year thereafter, a county that receives monies for a Reentry Program grant to report to the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Joint Legislative Budget Committee on:
a) for all persons who complete the screening, the percentage with:
i. low, moderate and high mental health risks;
ii. low, moderate, and high substance use disorder risks; and
iii. other presenting risk factors, including no primary care provider, being unemployed, being uninsured, lack of access to transportation, physical health concerns, homelessness and veteran status;
b) incidences of recidivism, including recidivism rates for the overall population, by mental health and substance use risk factors and including other risk factors; and
c) the percentage of released individuals who are connected and diverted to services, including behavioral health and housing services.
7. Makes technical and conforming changes.
8. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 10, 2025
KJA/NRG/slp