Criminal Justice Services

The Behavioral Health Education and Resources page focuses on the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health, and provides resources for courts to better address the needs of court users. This page is intended for California court judicial officers, court employees, and justice partner agencies.

Collaborative justice courts, also known as problem-solving courts, combine judicial supervision with rehabilitation services to reduce recidivism and improve criminal justice and health outcomes. Examples of collaborative justice courts include community courts, drug courts, mental health courts, reentry courts, and veterans courts.

The Budget Act of 2021 (SB 129) provided funding for “the implementation and operation of ongoing court programs and practices that promote the safe, efficient, fair, and timely pretrial release of individuals booked into jail.”  

The Judicial Council is involved in the administration of two community supervision initiatives that promote the use of evidence-based practices in the sentencing and supervising of felony offenders.

Can’t afford to pay your ticket? MyCitations allows litigants experiencing financial hardship to look up their citation(s), answer a series of simple questions, and submit a request to the court for a possible reduction in the amount owed completely online.

Effective November 9, 2016, Proposition 64 legalized specified personal use and cultivation of marijuana for adults 21 years of age or older; reduced criminal penalties for specified marijuana-related offenses for adults and juveniles; and authorized resentencing or dismissal and sealing of prior, eligible marijuana-related convictions. The proposition included provisions on regulation, licensing, and taxation of legalized use. 

Penal Code section 1172.2 authorizes the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to recommend that the courts recall prison sentences in instances in which an incarcerated person has a serious illness with an end-of-life trajectory or is medically incapacitated. It also requires the Judicial Council to publicly release data regarding these release decisions.