ACSOL: California CDCR Agrees to Change Treatment Requirements for Registrants on Parole

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has agreed in writing to change treatment requirements for registrants while on parole. As a result of this agreement, the number of registrants who are discharged early from parole is expected to increase significantly.

Jun 17

The improvements to which CDCR have agreed include the possibility of ending treatment in as little as one year. The improvements also require parole officers and treatment providers to decide after the first year of treatment and then once a year after the initial decision whether additional treatment is required. Their decision must be written and shared with the registrant on parole. If their decision is not reasonable, it can be challenged in court.

The changes to which CDCR have agreed will be included in regulations to be issued by that agency on an emergency basis. As a result of this procedure, implementation of the changes is expected to begin in about six months. If the regulations were issued on a non-emergency basis, their implementation would be delayed for at least two years.

“This agreement is a significant victory for almost 7,000 registrants currently on parole,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “No longer will every registrant on parole be required to undergo treatment the entire time they are on parole.”

Currently CDCR is requiring every registrant on parole to participate in treatment the entire time they are on parole. State law, however, requires treatment for a minimum of one year although it allows treatment for the entire time on parole if necessary. The same state law allows Superior Court judges to terminate treatment at any time after the first year.

CDCR agreed to these changes in order to settle a case filed in Los Angeles Superior Court last year. That lawsuit alleged that CDCR’s policy requiring all registrants to undergo treatment the entire time they are on parole was unlawful. CDCR has not admitted their policy was unlawful.

Treatment for registrants on parole can include group meetings, individual counseling and polygraph exams. All three forms of treatment will be addressed in the annual decisions to be made by parole officers and treatment providers.

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