Report 2021-113 Recommendation 21 Responses
Report 2021-113: Batterer Intervention Programs: State Guidance and Oversight Are Needed to Effectively Reduce Domestic Violence (Release Date: October 2022)
Recommendation #21 To: Contra Costa County Probation Department
To ensure that the courts can provide an offender with a selection of available program providers and their costs before the offender agrees to attend a program as a condition of probation, Contra Costa Probation should maintain standard program fee information and sliding fee scales for each of the providers it oversees, and make this information available to the courts by April 2023.
1-Year Agency Response
Below is a hyperlink with a list of all program providers that Contra Costa Probation overseas. Outlined in this list are the services provided and sliding fee information. This hyperlink is accessible to the public on the Contra Costa County website. This was last updated on May 31, 2023.
https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/78966/CCC-BIP-Provider-Roster-Updated-On-53123?bidId=
- Completion Date: June 2023
- Response Date: October 2023
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending
Although Contra Costa Probation maintains a list of program providers and a range of fees, we found that the list only contains a high-level range of fees, which does not provide enough detail for an offender to identify their cost per session based on their income. Additionally, for one of its providers, it only lists one fee per session, indicating that the provider does not have a sliding fee scale as state law requires. Until Contra Costa Probation demonstrates that it maintains sliding fee scales for each of its providers and it makes those fee scales available to the courts, we will not continue to report this recommendation as not fully implemented.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
- Auditee did not address all aspects of the recommendation
6-Month Agency Response
As previously reported, on November 17, 2022, Contra Costa Probation held a BIP provider's meeting and advised each provider who has not already done so to submit their sliding scale by their next annual recertification deadline. Timeframes vary depending on the provider's annual anniversary date.
- Estimated Completion Date: 10/1/2023
- Response Date: April 2023
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
60-Day Agency Response
On November 17, 2022, Contra Costa Probation held a BIP provider's meeting and advised each provider who has not already done so to submit their sliding scale by their next annual recertification deadline. Timeframes vary depending on the provider's annual anniversary date.
- Estimated Completion Date: 4/1/2023
- Response Date: December 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2021-113
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.