(a) (1) This section shall apply to individuals authorized to participate in a work furlough program pursuant to Section 1208, or to individuals authorized to participate in an electronic home detention program pursuant to Section 1203.016 or 1203.018, or to individuals authorized to participate in a county parole program pursuant to Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 3074) of Chapter 8 of Title 1 of Part 3.
(2) As used in this section, as appropriate, “administrator” means the sheriff, probation officer, director of the county department of corrections, or county parole administrator.
(b) (1) A board of supervisors that implements programs identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), may prescribe a program administrative fee and an application fee, that together shall not exceed the pro rata cost of the program to which the person is accepted, including equipment, supervision, and other operating costs, except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3).
(2) With regard to a privately operated electronic home detention program pursuant to Section 1203.016 or 1203.018, the limitation, described in paragraph (1), in prescribing a program administrative fee and application fee shall not apply.
(3) With regard to an electronic home detention program operated pursuant to Section 1203.016, whether or not the program is privately operated, any administrative fee or application fee prescribed by a board of supervisors shall only apply to adults over 21 years of age and under the jurisdiction of the criminal court.
(c) The correctional administrator, or his or her designee, shall not have access to a person’s financial data prior to granting or denying a person’s participation in, or assigning a person to, any of the programs governed by this section.
(d) The correctional administrator, or his or her designee, shall not consider a person’s ability or inability to pay all or a portion of the program fee for the purposes of granting or denying a person’s participation in, or assigning a person to, any of the programs governed by this section.
(e) For purposes of this section, “ability to pay” means the overall capability of the person to reimburse the costs, or a portion of the costs, of providing supervision and shall include, but shall not be limited to, consideration of all of the following factors:
(1) Present financial position.
(2) Reasonably discernible future financial position. In no event shall the administrator, or his or her designee, consider a period of more than six months from the date of acceptance into the program for purposes of determining reasonably discernible future financial position.
(3) Likelihood that the person shall be able to obtain employment within the six-month period from the date of acceptance into the program.
(4) Any other factor that may bear upon the person’s financial capability to reimburse the county for the fees fixed pursuant to subdivision (b).
(f) The administrator, or his or her designee, may charge a person the fee set by the board of supervisors or any portion of the fee and may determine the method and frequency of payment. Any fee the administrator, or his or her designee, charges pursuant to this section shall not in any case be in excess of the fee set by the board of supervisors and shall be based on the person’s ability to pay. The administrator, or his or her designee, shall have the option to waive the fees for program supervision when deemed necessary, justified, or in the interests of justice. The fees charged for program supervision may be modified or waived at any time based on the changing financial position of the person. All fees paid by persons for program supervision shall be deposited into the general fund of the county.
(g) No person shall be denied consideration for, or be removed from, participation in any of the programs to which this section applies because of an inability to pay all or a portion of the program supervision fees. At any time during a person’s sentence, the person may request that the administrator, or his or her designee, modify or suspend the payment of fees on the grounds of a change in circumstances with regard to the person’s ability to pay.
(h) If the person and the administrator, or his or her designee, are unable to come to an agreement regarding the person’s ability to pay, or the amount that is to be paid, or the method and frequency with which payment is to be made, the administrator, or his or her designee, shall advise the appropriate court of the fact that the person and administrator, or his or her designee, have not been able to reach agreement and the court shall then resolve the disagreement by determining the person’s ability to pay, the amount that is to be paid, and the method and frequency with which payment is to be made.
(i) At the time a person is approved for any of the programs to which this section applies, the administrator, or his or her designee, shall furnish the person a written statement of the person’s rights in regard to the program for which the person has been approved, including, but not limited to, both of the following:
(1) The fact that the person cannot be denied consideration for or removed from participation in the program because of an inability to pay.
(2) The fact that if the person is unable to reach agreement with the administrator, or his or her designee, regarding the person’s ability to pay, the amount that is to be paid, or the manner and frequency with which payment is to be made, that the matter shall be referred to the court to resolve the differences.
(j) In all circumstances where a county board of supervisors has approved a program administrator, as described in Section 1203.016, 1203.018, or 1208, to enter into a contract with a private agency or entity to provide specified program services, the program administrator shall ensure that the provisions of this section are contained within any contractual agreement for this purpose. All privately operated home detention programs shall comply with all appropriate, applicable ordinances and regulations specified in subdivision (a) of Section 1208.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 678, Sec. 4. (SB 190) Effective January 1, 2018.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018