CA SB 337

Title: Prisons.
Author: Caroline Menjivar

Summary
SB 337, as amended, Menjivar. Prisons. (1) Existing law establishes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (department) and sets forth its powers and duties regarding the administration of correctional facilities and the care and custody of inmates. Existing law requires law enforcement agencies to consider specified best practices when establishing policies and procedures for downloading and storing data from body-worn cameras, including, among other things, prohibiting the unauthorized use, duplication, or distribution of the data, and establishing storage periods for evidentiary and nonevidentiary data, as defined.This bill would require the department to establish policies and procedures that include circumstances under which a body-worn camera may be deactivated and would require the department to ensure that those policies and procedures prohibit a body-worn camera from being deactivated only because there is no incarcerated person present or if the correctional staff member is not interacting with an incarcerated person. The bill would require the department’s policies and procedures to authorize deactivation of a body-worn camera during specified confidential interactions and would require staff to inform the subject the reason for the deactivation and to document the time of the deactivation, the reason for the deactivation, and the time of reactivation.(2) Under existing law, a person sentenced to imprisonment in a state prison for a felony offense, as specified, may, during that period of confinement, be deprived only of those rights as is reasonably related to legitimate penological interests. Existing law enumerates certain civil rights of these prisoners.This bill would entitle a person incarcerated in a state prison to request the presence of an advocate during a physical or visual body cavity search, strip search, or body scan. The bill would require the department to document specified information, including whether the presence of an advocate was requested by the incarcerated individual, when an individual incarcerated in state prison is subject to any physical or visual body cavity search, strip search, or body scan of their person using a contraband or metal detection device or an electronic drug detection device. The bill would also require the department to document specified information if, during a medical appointment, an individual incarcerated in state prison requests the presence of an advocate who is not an employee of the department.(3) Existing law requires members of the department’s Office of Internal Affairs to possess certification from the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training for investigators, except as specified. Existing law requires the department to conduct a complete and thorough background check prior to training a peace officer who is selected to conduct internal affairs investigations and requires each person to satisfactorily pass the background check. Existing law states that any person who has been the subject of a sustained, serious disciplinary action, as specified, shall not pass the background check.This bill would require an investigator to disclose an actual or potential conflict of interest they may have in an investigation in which they are participating. The bill would require the department to take appropriate action to remedy that conflict. The bill would require an investigator to recuse themselves from participating in an investigation or a decision related to an investigation if they have a conflict of interest involving a staff member with whom they have a personal relationship, as defined.(4) Existing law authorizes the secretary of the department to prescribe and amend rules and regulations for the administration of prisons. Under existing law, the State Civil Service Act, certain acts, including convictions of certain crimes, are cause for discipline of a state employee or of a person whose name appears on an employment list.This bill woul

Status
May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

Bill Documents
CA SB 337 - 04/10/25 - Amended Senate
04/10/25 - CA SB 337 (04/10/25 - Amended Senate)