A California legislature bill with a local impact. Fed up of Crime, take action and call your state legislator

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AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 18, 2014
SENATE BILL No. 833
Introduced by Senator Liu
January 6, 2014
An act to repeal and add amend Section 4024 of the Penal Code,
relating to jails.
legislative counsel’s digest
SB 833, as amended, Liu. Jails: discharge of prisoners.
Existing law authorizes the sheriff to discharge a prisoner from the
county jail at a time on the last day a prisoner may be confined that the
sheriff considers to be in the best interests of that prisoner. Existing law
allows for the accelerated release of inmates, as specified, upon the
authorization of the presiding judge of the superior court.
This bill instead would additionally authorize the sheriff to offer a
voluntary program to a prisoner, upon completion of a sentence served
or a release ordered by the court to be effected the same day, that would
allow the prisoner to stay in the custody facility for up to 16 additional
hours or until normal business hours, whichever is shorter, in order to
offer the prisoner the ability to be discharged to a treatment center or
during daytime hours. The bill would specify that this authorization
does not prevent the early release of prisoners as otherwise allowed by
law or allow jails to retain prisoners any longer than otherwise required
by law without the prisoners’ express written consent.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.

Third reading ordered in the Senate

The link to the entire bill is worth reading, here are some sections that have been relevant in local discussions:

(a)  City and county jails throughout California regularly release
  jailed persons during nighttime hours.
 (b)  Persons released during late night hours are unable to access
  basic reentry services, are susceptible to victimization, and may
 jeopardize public safety.
  (c)  Persons released who are homeless are left to the streets
 until morning, as most shelters close intake in the early evening
 hours.
 (d)  Persons who suffer from mental illness or substance
 addiction are unable to access immediate treatment services
 following a late night release from jail.
 (e)  Many California counties have reentry centers that provide
 a range of services and referrals for persons recently released from
 jail, however, most centers are typically open during business
 hours only, leaving persons released at night without these
  immediate benefits.
 (f)  While some jurisdictions have attempted to address this
 issue, there is no standardized policy in place to govern release
 times.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/sen/sb_0801-0850/sb_833_bill_20140318_amended_sen_v98.pdf