Courts: mental health pilot program.

Plain English Breakdown

The exact date for the final report and termination of the pilot program were corrected based on the official bill summary.

Courts: Mental Health Help for Jurors

This law allows Santa Cruz County and two other counties chosen by the Judicial Council to offer free mental health services to jurors and alternate jurors after they finish a criminal case involving violent felonies.

What This Bill Does

• Allows the County of Santa Cruz and two other counties selected by the Judicial Council to provide free mental health services to jurors and alternate jurors who have served on cases involving violent felonies.
• Requires the Judicial Council to enter into an agreement with local behavioral health directors for providing these services, including details such as the number of free sessions available.
• Needs participating counties to end this pilot program by January 1, 2034.
• Asks the counties to report information about the program to the Judicial Council.
• Requires the Judicial Council to give a final report to the Legislature no later than July 1, 2035.

Who It Names or Affects

• Jurors and alternate jurors in Santa Cruz County and two other selected counties who have served on cases involving violent felonies.
• Behavioral health directors of participating counties.
• The Judicial Council.

Terms To Know

Pilot program

A small-scale trial run to test a new idea or method before full implementation.

Memorandum of understanding (MOU)

An agreement between parties outlining the terms and conditions agreed upon in a project or initiative.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify which two counties besides Santa Cruz will participate.
• It is unclear how many people might benefit from this program before it ends in 2034.
• The final report to the Legislature may recommend changes or improvements for future mental health services for jurors.

Official Summary Text

AB 2357, as amended, Pellerin.
Courts: mental health pilot program.
Existing law, the Trial Jury Selection and Management Act, governs the selection of jurors and formation of trial juries for civil and criminal cases in all trial courts of the state. Existing law requires the judge in a criminal action or proceeding alleging a violent felony, prior to discharging the jury, to provide specified information to trial jurors regarding mental health awareness, including information about stress relief and symptoms that may be experienced following exposure to trauma.
This bill would authorize the County of Santa Cruz and two other counties, selected by the Judicial Council, to conduct a pilot program for the provision of
no
-cost
mental health services to jurors and alternate jurors following the receipt of a verdict in a criminal action or proceeding alleging a violent felony, as defined. The bill would require the Judicial Council to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the behavioral health directors of the participating counties for the purposes of providing the above-described mental health services, and would require the memorandum of understanding to include, among other things, the number of
no
-cost
mental health sessions available to jurors. The bill would require the participating counties to terminate the pilot program no later than January 1, 2034, and would require the counties to report specified information regarding the pilot program to the Judicial Council. The bill would require the Judicial
Council to provide a report to the Legislature no later than July 1,
2034,
2035,
regarding the pilot program, and would require the report to include the number of jurors who were offered mental health resources pursuant to this program and recommendations for improving outreach and access to mental health services for jurors. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1,
2035.
2036.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF