(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a sheriff or a county director of corrections is authorized to offer a program under which inmates as specified in subdivision (c), who are not precluded by subdivision (d), and who have been committed to a county jail may be allowed to participate in a voluntary alternative custody program as defined in subdivision (b) in lieu of their confinement in a county jail. Under this program, one day of participation is in lieu of one day of incarceration in a county jail. Participants in the program shall receive any sentence reduction credits that they would have received had they served their sentence in a county jail, and are subject to denial and loss of credit pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 4019. The sheriff or the county director of corrections may enter into contracts with county agencies, not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, and others in order to promote alternative custody placements.

(b) As used in this section, an alternative custody program shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Confinement to a residential home during the hours designated by the sheriff or the county director of corrections.

(2) Confinement to a residential drug or treatment program during the hours designated by the county sheriff or the county director of corrections.

(3) Confinement to a transitional care facility that offers appropriate services.

(4) Confinement to a mental health clinic or hospital that offers appropriate mental health services.

(c) Except as provided by subdivision (d), inmates sentenced to a county jail for a determinate term of imprisonment pursuant to a misdemeanor or a felony pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170, and only those persons, are eligible to participate in the alternative custody program authorized by this section.

(d) An inmate committed to a county jail who meets any of the following criteria is not eligible to participate in the alternative custody program:

(1) The person was screened by the sheriff or the county director of corrections using a validated risk assessment tool and determined to pose a high risk to commit a violent offense.

(2) The person has a history, within the last 10 years, of escape from a facility while under juvenile or adult custody, including, but not limited to, any detention facility, camp, jail, or state prison facility.

(3) The person has a current or prior conviction for an offense that requires the person to register as a sex offender as provided in Chapter 5.5. (commencing with Section 290) of Title 9 of Part 1.

(e) An alternative custody program may include the use of electronic monitoring, global positioning system devices, or other supervising devices for the purpose of helping to verify a participant’s compliance with the rules and regulations of the program. The devices shall not be used to eavesdrop or record any conversation, except a conversation between the participant and the person supervising the participant, in which case the recording of the conversation is to be used solely for the purposes of voice identification.

(f) (1) In order to implement alternative custody for the population specified in subdivision (c), the sheriff or the county director of corrections shall create, and the participant shall agree to and fully participate in, an individualized treatment and rehabilitation plan. When available and appropriate for the individualized treatment and rehabilitation plan, the sheriff or the county director of corrections shall prioritize the use of evidence-based programs and services that will aid in the participant’s successful reentry into society while he or she takes part in alternative custody. Case management services shall be provided to support rehabilitation and to track the progress and individualized treatment plan compliance of the inmate.

(2) For purposes of this section, “evidence-based practices” means supervision policies, procedures, programs, and practices demonstrated by scientific research to reduce recidivism among individuals under probation, parole, or postrelease community supervision.

(g) The sheriff or the county director of corrections shall prescribe reasonable rules to govern the operation of the alternative custody program. Each participant shall be informed in writing that he or she is required to comply with the rules of the program, including, but not limited to, the following rules:

(1) The participant shall remain within the interior premises of his or her residence during the hours designated by the sheriff or his or her designee or the county director of corrections or his or her designee.

(2) The participant shall be subject to search and seizure by a peace officer at any time of the day or night, with or without cause. In addition, the participant shall admit any peace officer designated by the sheriff or his or her designee or the county director of corrections or his or her designee into the participant’s residence at any time for purposes of verifying the participant’s compliance with the conditions of his or her detention. Prior to participation in the alternative custody program, each participant shall agree in writing to these terms and conditions.

(3) The sheriff or his or her designee, or the county director of corrections or his or her designee, may immediately retake the participant into custody to serve the balance of his or her sentence if an electronic monitoring or supervising device is unable for any reason to properly perform its function at the designated place of detention, if the participant fails to remain within the place of detention as stipulated in the agreement, or if the participant for any other reason no longer meets the criteria under this section.

(h) Whenever a peace officer supervising a participant has reasonable suspicion to believe that the participant is not complying with the rules or conditions of the program, or that a required electronic monitoring device is unable to function properly in the designated place of confinement, the peace officer may, under general or specific authorization of the sheriff or his or her designee, or the county director of corrections or his or her designee, and without a warrant of arrest, retake the participant into custody to complete the remainder of the original sentence.

(i) This section shall not be construed to require a sheriff or his or her designee, or a county director of corrections or his or her designee, to allow an inmate to participate in this program if it appears from the record that the inmate has not satisfactorily complied with reasonable rules and regulations while in custody. An inmate shall be eligible for participation in an alternative custody program only if the sheriff or his or her designee or the county director of corrections or his or her designee concludes that the inmate meets the criteria for program participation established under this section and that the inmate’s participation is consistent with any reasonable rules prescribed by the sheriff or the county director of corrections.

(1) The rules and administrative policies of the program shall be written and shall be given or made available to each participant upon assignment to the alternative custody program.

(2) The sheriff or his or her designee or the county director of corrections or his or her designee shall have the sole discretion concerning whether to permit program participation as an alternative to custody in a county jail. A risk and needs assessment shall be completed on each inmate to assist in the determination of eligibility for participation and the type of alternative custody.

(j) (1) The sheriff or his or her designee or the county director of corrections or his or her designee shall permit program participants to seek and retain employment in the community, attend psychological counseling sessions or educational or vocational training classes, participate in life skills or parenting training, utilize substance abuse treatment services, or seek medical, mental health, and dental assistance based upon the participant’s individualized treatment and release plan. Participation in other rehabilitative services and programs may be approved by the case manager if it is specified as a requirement of the inmate’s individualized treatment and rehabilitative case plan.

(2) Willful failure of the program participant to return to the place of detention prior to the expiration of any period of time during which he or she is authorized to be away from the place of detention, unauthorized departures from the place of detention, or tampering with or disabling, or attempting to tamper with or disable, an electronic monitoring device is punishable pursuant to Section 4532 and shall additionally subject the participant to a return to custody pursuant to subdivisions (g) and (h). In addition, participants may be subject to forfeiture of credits pursuant to the provisions of Section 4019, or to discipline for violation of rules established by the sheriff or the county director of corrections.

(k) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, the sheriff or his or her designee or the county director of corrections or his or her designee shall provide the information specified in paragraph (2) regarding participants in an alternative custody program to the law enforcement agencies of the jurisdiction in which persons participating in an alternative custody program reside.

(2) The information required by paragraph (1) shall consist of the following:

(A) The participant’s name, address, and date of birth.

(B) The offense committed by the participant.

(C) The period of time the participant will be subject to an alternative custody program.

(3) The information received by a law enforcement agency pursuant to this subdivision may be used for the purpose of monitoring the impact of an alternative custody program on the community.

(l) It is the intent of the Legislature that the alternative custody programs established under this section maintain the highest public confidence, credibility, and public safety. In the furtherance of these standards, the sheriff or the county director of corrections may administer an alternative custody program pursuant to written contracts with appropriate public agencies or entities to provide specified program services. No public agency or entity entering into a contract may itself employ any person who is in an alternative custody program. The sheriff or the county director of corrections shall determine the recidivism rate of each participant in an alternative custody program.

(m) An inmate participating in this program shall voluntarily agree to all of the provisions of the program in writing, including that he or she may be returned to confinement at any time with or without cause, and shall not be charged fees or costs for the program.

(n) If a phrase, clause, sentence, or provision of this section or application thereof to a person or circumstance is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect any other phrase, clause, sentence, or provision or application of this section, which can be given effect without the invalid phrase, clause, sentence, or provision or application and to this end the provisions of this section are declared to be severable.

(Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 26, Sec. 18. (AB 1468) Effective June 20, 2014.)