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| SPONSOR: | Lujan | DATE TYPED: | 02/25/01 | HB | 892 | ||
| SHORT TITLE: | Community Justice Program Prototype | SB | |||||
| ANALYST: | Belmares | ||||||
| Recurring
or Non-Rec |
Fund
Affected | ||||
| FY01 | FY02 | FY01 | FY02 | ||
| $ 65.0 | Recurring | General Fund | |||
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Administrative Office of the District Attorneys
Administrative Office of the Courts
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 892 appropriates $65.0 from the general fund to the First Judicial District Attorney for the purpose of designing and implementing a prototype community justice program for statewide consideration.
Significant Issues
The Administrative Office of the Courts indicates the First Judicial District Attorney would hire an ombudsman to work with community and neighborhood organizations, along with the district attorney's office, police, and the courts within the First Judicial District to design and implement a community justice program. The ombudsman may do such things as explain the justice system to community and neighborhood organizations, work with the police to identify high-crime areas, and work with community and neighborhood organizations to make physical changes to the community or neighborhood such as displaying community policing signs in neighborhoods.
The Administrative Office of the District Attorneys asserts community justice programs seem to be having a great success around the country and a prototype of such a program would be useful in encouraging increased collaboration among criminal justice agencies and in educating the public about the criminal justice system.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $65.0 to the First Judicial District Attorney contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2002 shall revert to the general fund. The Administrative Office of the District Attorneys indicates the general fund appropriation contained in this bill would provide state funding for a program which has been funded by the federal government in different states around the country.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
The Administrative Office of the Courts has indicated this bill would require time of some judges within the first judicial district to work with ombudsman to design and implement the community justice program. The Administrative implications for the First Judicial District Attorney would not be significant.
EB/njw