People who are considered eligible for AB 109 services include:
A Probation Officer wears many hats. At different times, they can take the role of social worker, advocate, or law enforcement. They enforce the conditions of probation and help you to understand and follow the directives of the Court. They also help you build a case plan, connect you with different services, and help you rebuild your life after being incarcerated.
Your DPO can link you to a variety of services through the Probation Department. These services are funded with state monies, paid by the Probation Department, and delivered by contracted Community Based Organizations (CBOs). CBOs are non-profit organizations working to help the members of the community by providing a range of services.
Some of the services offered by CBOs and funded by the Probation department include:
In May 2011, the US Supreme Court ordered California to deal with prison overcrowding by reducing the population in the state’s 33 prisons within two years. In response, the California legislature and Governor Edmund “Jerry” Brown passed two laws that year: Assembly Bill 109 in and Assembly Bill 117.
AB109 established the Public Safety Realignment Act of 2011, which allowed for non-violent, non-serious, and non-sex offenders who are released from California state prisons to be supervised by probation officers at the local county level instead of state parole officers. To help manage the shift of responsibility for tens of thousands of individuals from the state to the counties, the state gave funding to the counties.
The ‘realigned population’ consists of individuals sentenced with a 1170(h)-eligible offense who are serving their time in county jail, parole violators adjudicated in local courts, and Post-release Community Supervision (PRCS).
PRCS clients are individuals released from prison for non-serious and non-violent offenses, and are not classified as high risk sex offenders, who are being supervised by local probation agencies.
If they do not violate the conditions of their probation, a PRCS client typically serves one year on probation as opposed to three years of parole.
California is comprised of 58 different counties, all with unique resources. Some resource information can be found online and can be difficult to obtain in hard copy format. Please contact your local CDCR or Probation Office to learn more about specific resources in your area. The California Reentry Council Network also maintains a list of stakeholders from counties throughout the state that you can reach out to for local resource information. Visit calreentry.com.
If you are currently incarcerated and seeking to gain acceptance into a program upon release we recommend you write the program directly. Your CDCR counselor, probation officer, or public defender may be able to help you with the process.
Beyond the information communicated below, it is recommended that you confirm with an enrollment agency/service provider the current eligibility for receiving benefits or services. http://www.benefitscal.org/
CalWORKs
CalWORKs is a public assistance program that provides cash aid and services to eligible families that have a child(ren) in the home. The program serves all 58 counties in the state and is operated locally by county welfare departments.
Specific eligibility requirements include an applicant’s citizenship, age, income, resources, assets and other factors. Generally, services are available to:
You can only apply for CalWORKs once you have been released from prison or jail, and you have active custody of a child as a parent or caretaker.
https://www.cdss.ca.gov/calworks
CalFresh
If you have been convicted of any misdemeanor offense or convicted for any felony offense, including serious or violent offenses, your criminal record does not affect your eligibility for CalFresh. Being on probation and/or parole does not impact your eligibility for CalFresh. An incarcerated individual does not qualify for CalFresh while they are incarcerated because the individual is considered a resident of an ineligible institution (jail/prison). An individual is considered a resident of an institution when the institution provides them with the majority of meals as part of the institution’s normal services. Residents of ineligible institutions are not eligible for CalFresh. However, once the individual is released and no longer residing in an ineligible institution, the individual may qualify for CalFresh if in compliance with their terms of their parole or probation. If you have a release date, you should look into the possibility of applying for CalFresh starting 30 days.
Social Security Benefits
An individual released from incarceration may be eligible for Social Security retirement, survivors, or disability benefits if they have worked or paid into Social Security enough years. An individual released from incarceration may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income benefits if they are 65 or older, are blind, or have a disability and have little or no income and resources.
First, contact your probation officer. Typically, the municipality which has been assigned to supervise you will require you show proof you live in another county. Next contact your attorney or public defender and ask to be put back on calendar and file a 1203.9 request to the court. These requests always have to go through the courts. If approved, the current probation department contacts the receiving agency and verifies the address before proceeding. This process can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months.
A transfer of your parole supervision has to be initiated by your parole agent. In most circumstances, verifiable, permanent housing must be established for your transfer to be considered.