A bill that would enable counties to assess the progress and local impact of the Criminal Justice Realignment Act of 2011 (AB 109), by tracking and collecting data, was unanimously approved by the Senate Public Safety Committee, officials announced today.

The Criminal Justice Reinvestment Assessment Grant Program of 2016 (SB 1327)—authored by Senator Janet Nguyen of the 34th State Senate District—would make the collected data available to the public and organizations that evaluate the intended progress of Realignment in California.

“In 2011, the State Legislature passed AB 109 to realign convicted felons out of state prisons and into our local county jails, all while saving money that would otherwise be spent holding these criminals in state facilities,” Senator Nguyen said in a statement. “However, five years later there is still no statewide reporting system to track the progress of Realignment or its impacts on our local communities.”

By providing for the collection and reporting of a broad spectrum of realigned offender and program data, Senator Nguyen hopes that SB 1327 will ensure that practices are developed at the local level that reduce recidivism, promote public safety and address offenders’ rehabilitative needs, according to a release.

“As a former County Supervisor, I know the many challenges that counties and local governments face in complying with AB 109 while staying committed to public safety and the rehabilitative goals for offenders,” said Senator Nguyen in a statement. “In this effort, the State must remain accountable and aware of the burden it placed on our local public safety organizations when it approved Realignment in 2011 and that is why I introduced this legislation.”

Furthermore, the data collected by SB 1327 will help determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs by examining whether or not participants are actually completing the program.

“With more accurate information and data, elected officials, public safety experts and academics can better understand our current criminal system in order to better serve our community,” said Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber), joint author of SB 1327 and Vice Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, in a statement.

SB 1327 is now awaiting a vote from the Senate Appropriations Committee. If both the Legislature and Governor Brown sign off on the bill, as an urgency measure, SB 1327 would go into effect immediately.