Governor Selects Contra Costa DA's Office For Resentencing Pilot

Martinez CA

20 July, 2021

1:56 PM

Description

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office learned Friday it is one of nine in the state selected to participate in the California County Resentencing Pilot Program. A budget bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom contains funding for the program, which starts Sept. 1. The pilot, which is overseen by the nonprofit For the People, builds upon Assembly Bill 2942, which allows for a district attorney to review old sentences and determine if the sentence still serves the interest of justice and the community. "I was proud to support AB 2942 and this funding further strengthens my office's ability to process these requests in a timely manner," Contra Costa DA Diana Becton said. "Excessive sentences undermine our ability to hold the most violent accountable for serious crimes in our community. The strain on the state prison and criminal justice system is immense from these failed policies of our past." Participating counties will develop protocols for processing resentencing applications from individuals serving custody within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The state has appropriated $18 million across nine counties to fund the three-year-long pilot. In addition to Contra Costa, the participating counties are Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Riverside, San Diego, Yolo, Merced and Humboldt. "The diversity of these counties is intentional—not only in geography, but in voter base, prosecutor leadership, reentry resources, prison population, and incarceration rates," For The People stated in a news release. "It will allow for the legislature to evaluate impact across a wide range of participants. Potential impacts include cost savings to the state, reinvestment in community resources, economic stimulation through workplace reentry, and more." The Contra Costa DA's Office is set to receive $1.5 million to fund its participation. The Public Defender's Office will receive $750,000 and a local community-based organization will receive $250,000. The community-based organization will help individuals re-enter the community with support services, while the Public Defender's Office will advise the DA's Office on potential candidates for resentencing. Most recently, the Contra Costa DA's Office supported Christopher Hales' effort to be resentenced under AB 2942 for his 1995 felony arrest for his third robbery. Hales was 21 at the time of his conviction and was originally was sentenced to 89 years to life in state prison. Hales is the second person in Contra Costa County to be resentenced under this law. The resources available to the participating counties will enable each office to better process requests for resentencing applications and evaluate a collaborative approach to conducting resentencing requests such as the one for Hales. In addition, as part of this pilot program, the Contra Costa DA's Office will create a written policy to recommend people such as Hales for resentencing; train staff to understand the obligations under state law for resentencing, and track data for each request.