Assemblymember Haney’s AB 2475 stops people who have committed violent crimes and have been diagnosed with a severe mental disorder from being released into the community without proper supervision and treatment.
- Nate Allbee
- (415) 756-0561
Sacramento – Assemblymember Matt Haney’s (D-San Francisco) AB 2475, Preventing Unsupervised Psychiatric Releases bill, allows state hospitals to hold patients for up to 30 additional days before they are released to allow law enforcement and public health officials to work together to find housing, medication access, and mental health treatment. The bill previously passed out of the Assembly floor with a 72 to 0 vote, earning broad bi-partisan support throughout the legislative process. The bill has now passed its final legislative hurdle on the consent calendar in the California State Senate with a 40 to 0 unanimous vote.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in the six years between 2018 and 2023, 1,656 people were released from a state hospital. In all of those cases, the Department of State Hospitals, State Parole, and local agencies were only given five days before the release of the individual to coordinate the appropriate housing, supervision, medication, and mental health services prior to a parolee being released and placed back in the community.
“If a person is being held in custody because their mental illness led them to commit a violent crime, the state has an absolute obligation and responsibility to make sure that they aren't released without ensuring adequate support, planning and treatment,” said Haney. “There is an unrealistic expectation that all agencies involved have the resources and bandwidth to safely place a person back in the community within five dangerously short days. This bill is a common-sense public safety measure and will help ensure that people get essential ongoing treatment when released.”
If AB 2475 is signed by Governor Newsom, it will go into effect statewide on January first of 2025.