(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the board of supervisors of any county may authorize the correctional administrator, as defined in subdivision (g), to offer a program under which inmates committed to a county jail or other county correctional facility or granted probation, or inmates participating in a work furlough program, may voluntarily participate or involuntarily be placed in a home detention program during their sentence in lieu of confinement in a county jail or other county correctional facility or program under the auspices of the probation officer.

(b) The board of supervisors, in consultation with the correctional administrator, may prescribe reasonable rules and regulations under which a home detention program may operate. As a condition of participation in the home detention program, the inmate shall give consent in writing to participate in the home detention program and shall in writing agree to comply or, for involuntary participation, the inmate shall be informed in writing that the inmate shall comply, with the rules and regulations of the program, including, but not limited to, the following rules:

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(1) The participant shall remain within the interior premises of the participant’s residence during the hours designated by the correctional administrator.

(2) The participant shall admit any probation officer or other peace officer designated by the correctional administrator into the participant’s residence at any time for purposes of verifying the participant’s compliance with the conditions of the detention.

(3) The participant shall agree to the use of electronic monitoring, which may include Global Positioning System devices or other supervising devices for the purpose of helping to verify compliance with the rules and regulations of the home detention 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 which is to be used solely for the purposes of voice identification.

(4) The participant shall agree that the correctional administrator in charge of the county correctional facility from which the participant was released may, without further order of the court, immediately retake the person into custody to serve the balance of the person’s sentence if the electronic monitoring or supervising devices are unable for any reason to properly perform their function at the designated place of home detention, if the person fails to remain within the place of home detention as stipulated in the agreement, or if the person for any other reason no longer meets the established criteria under this section. A copy of the agreement shall be delivered to the participant and a copy retained by the correctional administrator.

(c) If the peace officer supervising a participant has reasonable cause to believe that the participant is not complying with the rules or conditions of the program, or that the electronic monitoring devices are unable to function properly in the designated place of confinement, the peace officer may, under general or specific authorization of the correctional administrator, and without a warrant of arrest, retake the person into custody to complete the remainder of the original sentence.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the correctional administrator to allow a person to participate in this program if it appears from the record that the person has not satisfactorily complied with reasonable rules and regulations while in custody. A person shall be eligible for participation in a home detention program only if the correctional administrator concludes that the person meets the criteria for release established under this section and that the person’s participation is consistent with any reasonable rules and regulations prescribed by the board of supervisors or the administrative policy of the correctional administrator.

(1) The rules and regulations and administrative policy of the program shall be written and reviewed on an annual basis by the county board of supervisors and the correctional administrator. The rules and regulations shall be given to or made available to any participant upon request.

(2) The correctional administrator, or the administrator’s designee, shall have the sole discretionary authority to permit program participation as an alternative to physical custody. All persons referred or recommended by the court to participate in the home detention program pursuant to subdivision (e) who are denied participation or all persons removed from program participation shall be notified in writing of the specific reasons for the denial or removal. The notice of denial or removal shall include the participant’s appeal rights, as established by program administrative policy.

(e) The court may recommend or refer a person to the correctional administrator for consideration for placement in the home detention program. The recommendation or referral of the court shall be given great weight in the determination of acceptance or denial. At the time of sentencing or at any time that the court deems it necessary, the court may restrict or deny the defendant‘s participation in a home detention program.

(f) The correctional administrator may permit home detention program participants to seek and retain employment in the community, attend psychological counseling sessions or educational or vocational training classes, or seek medical and dental assistance. Willful failure of the program participant to return to the place of home detention not later than the expiration of any period of time during which the participant is authorized to be away from the place of home detention pursuant to this section and unauthorized departures from the place of home detention are punishable as provided in Section 4532.

(g) As used in this section, “correctional administrator” means the sheriff, probation officer, or director of the county department of corrections.

(h) Notwithstanding any other law, the police department of a city where an office is located to which persons on an electronic monitoring program report may request the county correctional administrator to provide information concerning those persons. This information shall be limited to the name, address, date of birth, offense committed by the home detainee, and if available, at the discretion of the supervising agency and solely for investigatory purposes, current and historical GPS coordinates of the home detainee. A law enforcement department that does not have the primary responsibility to supervise participants in the electronic monitoring program that receives information pursuant to this subdivision shall not use the information to conduct enforcement actions based on administrative violations of the home detention program. A law enforcement department that has knowledge that the subject in a criminal investigation is a participant in an electronic monitoring program shall make reasonable efforts to notify the supervising agency prior to serving a warrant or taking any law enforcement action against a participant in an electronic monitoring program.

(i) It is the intent of the Legislature that home detention programs established under this section maintain the highest public confidence, credibility, and public safety. In the furtherance of these standards, the following shall apply:

(1) The correctional administrator, with the approval of the board of supervisors, may administer a home detention program pursuant to written contracts with appropriate public or private agencies or entities to provide specified program services. No public or private agency or entity may operate a home detention program in any county without a written contract with that county’s correctional administrator. However, this does not apply to the use of electronic monitoring by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. No public or private agency or entity entering into a contract may itself employ any person who is in the home detention program.

(2) Program acceptance shall not circumvent the normal booking process for sentenced offenders. All home detention program participants shall be supervised.

(3) (A) All privately operated home detention programs shall be under the jurisdiction of, and subject to the terms and conditions of the contract entered into with, the correctional administrator.

(B) Each contract shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(i) A provision whereby the private agency or entity agrees to operate in compliance with any available standards promulgated by state correctional agencies and bodies, including the Corrections Standards Authority, and all statutory provisions and mandates, state and county, as appropriate and applicable to the operation of home detention programs and the supervision of sentenced offenders in a home detention program.

(ii) A provision that clearly defines areas of respective responsibility and liability of the county and the private agency or entity.

(iii) A provision that requires the private agency or entity to demonstrate evidence of financial responsibility, submitted and approved by the board of supervisors, in amounts and under conditions sufficient to fully indemnify the county for reasonably foreseeable public liability, including legal defense costs, that may arise from, or be proximately caused by, acts or omissions of the contractor. The contract shall provide for annual review by the correctional administrator to ensure compliance with requirements set by the board of supervisors and for adjustment of the financial responsibility requirements if warranted by caseload changes or other factors.

(iv) A provision that requires the private agency or entity to provide evidence of financial responsibility, such as certificates of insurance or copies of insurance policies, prior to commencing any operations pursuant to the contract or at any time requested by the board of supervisors or correctional administrator.

(v) A provision that permits the correctional administrator to immediately terminate the contract with a private agency or entity at any time that the contractor fails to demonstrate evidence of financial responsibility.

(C) All privately operated home detention programs shall comply with all appropriate, applicable ordinances and regulations specified in subdivision (a) of Section 1208.

(D) The board of supervisors, the correctional administrator, and the designee of the correctional administrator shall comply with § 1090 of the Government Code in the consideration, making, and execution of contracts pursuant to this section.

(E) The failure of the private agency or entity to comply with statutory provisions and requirements or with the standards established by the contract and with the correctional administrator may be sufficient cause to terminate the contract.

(F) Upon the discovery that a private agency or entity with whom there is a contract is not in compliance pursuant to this paragraph, the correctional administrator shall give 60 days’ notice to the director of the private agency or entity that the contract may be canceled if the specified deficiencies are not corrected.

(G) Shorter notice may be given or the contract may be canceled without notice whenever a serious threat to public safety is present because the private agency or entity has failed to comply with this section.

(j) For purposes of this section, “evidence of financial responsibility” may include, but is not limited to, certified copies of any of the following:

(1) A current liability insurance policy.

(2) A current errors and omissions insurance policy.

(3) A surety bond.

(k) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2021.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 218, Sec. 5. (SB 852) Effective January 1, 2024.)