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Committee backs SB 379 to increase state oversight of conditional‑release placements for sexually violent predators
Summary
SB 379 would require the Department of State Hospitals to ensure vendors consider public safety in placements of sexually violent predators and to approve leases before third‑party contractors finalize placements. Supporters included sheriffs, police chiefs and county district attorneys; civil‑rights groups opposed.
The Assembly Public Safety Committee voted to pass Senate Bill 379, a measure by Senator Jones that would tighten state oversight of the conditional release process for sexually violent predators (SVPs).
The bill requires the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) to ensure vendor placements take public safety into account and to approve any lease before a vendor or department employee can finalize a placement location. Senator Jones said the goal is not to prohibit contracting for services but to ensure the department does not cede oversight entirely to third parties.
"This bill will make two important updates to the conditional release process," Senator Jones said. "First, vendors must consider public safety in placements. Second, the department must approve any lease before a vendor can sign for placement locations." She described the proposal as a targeted, incremental fix to a system that critics say has been insufficiently supervised.
Supporters included the California State Sheriffs Association, the California Police Chiefs Association, and the California District Attorneys Association; Riverside and local sheriff associations also signed letters in support. Opponents included the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Initiate Justice, and the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, who argued the bill could unintentionally complicate rehabilitation and release processes.
Assemblymember Lackey, representing a district that has previously experienced controversial SVP placements, said the system had placed residents at risk and welcomed the proposed oversight changes.
Assemblymember Winn moved the bill with a second by Lackey. The committee conducted a roll call and recorded votes; the measure passed and was referred to the Appropriations Committee.
The committee’s recorded action: motion to pass SB 379 carried; committee recorded the vote and advanced the measure to Appropriations for fiscal review.
