20250SB__049897AMD INTRODUCED 2025-02-19 AMENDED_SENATE 2025-05-23 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-04-06 REVISED 2026-06-09 2025 SB AMD Introduced by Senator Becker (Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Quirk-Silva, Schultz, and Sharp-Collins) LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Becker COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bonta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Quirk-Silva COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schultz COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sharp-Collins

An act to amend

Section 2084.5 of the Penal Code, relating to corrections. corrections Incarcerated persons: communications. Under existing law, a person sentenced to imprisonment in state prison or in a county jail for a felony offense, as specified, may, during that period of confinement, be deprived only of those rights as are reasonably related to legitimate penological interests. Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide inmates with accessible, functional voice communication services free of charge to the person initiating and the person receiving the communication.

This bill would additionally require the department to provide inmates electronic messaging services as described above. The bill would prohibit staff at a department facility, if an incarcerated individual is authorized to possess and use a tablet or other device for voice communications, from disconnecting any communications conducted by the individual on the device based solely on the duration of the call.

Existing law requires that an inmate in a state prison who has maintained an inmate trust account with $25 or less for consecutive days be deemed indigent and requires that an inmate who is indigent receive, among other things, basic supplies necessary for maintaining personal hygiene.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>Existing law allows the sheriff of each county to operate a store in connection with the county jail, and authorizes the chief probation officer of each county to operate a store in connection with the juvenile hall or other county juvenile facilities, to sell confectionary, postage and writing materials, and toilet articles and supplies to wards and juvenile detainees.

Existing law also provides that all youth confined in juvenile facilities have specified rights, including, among others, the right to receive adequate personal hygiene items.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p> This bill would require that indigent wards or detainees be provided basic hygiene products free of charge and require that those individuals have guaranteed access to hygiene products, upon their request. The bill would prohibit an indigent ward or detainee from being denied access to hygiene products as a disciplinary measure.

The bill would prohibit debt from being accrued as a result of the provision of hygiene products to indigent wards or detainees and would require any debt accrued for the provision of hygiene products prior to January 1, 2026, to be discharged. By expanding the duties of probation officers, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state.

Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.</xhtml:p>"?> MAJORITY NO YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION

Section 2084.5 of the Penal Code is amended to read: 2084.5. (

a) A state prison or youth residential placement or detention center operated by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall provide persons in their custody and confined in a correctional or detention facility with accessible, functional voice communication and electronic messaging services free of charge to the person initiating and the person receiving the communication. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall have operational discretion in implementing this subdivision such that free voice communication and electronic messaging services do not interfere with necessary programming. (

b) A state agency shall not receive revenue from the provision of voice communication services or any other communication services to a person confined in a state correctional or detention facility. (

c) If an incarcerated individual is authorized to possess and use a tablet or other device for voice communications, facility staff shall not disconnect any communications conducted by the individual on the device based solely on the duration of the call. <caml:Num>SECTION 1.</caml:Num><caml:Content><xhtml:p>The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Hygiene is essential for public health and necessary for the welfare of incarcerated people.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Readily accessible hygiene products are a basic need and essential for the dignity of all human beings.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Indigent people incarcerated in county detention facilities are unable to access hygiene products in the commissary because they do not have the ability to pay, and, as a result, either end up accruing debt to be provided hygiene products by the facility or going without regular access to basic hygiene products needed to maintain their hygiene.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(d)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Access to hygiene products should not be deprived as a disciplinary measure against indigent people and the ability to access hygiene products cannot be based on race, gender, physical traits, color, religious affiliation, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:BillSection><caml:BillSection id="id_9AF580C0-7FD8-441E-BF44-841546992BE5"><caml:Num>SEC. 2.</caml:Num><caml:ActionLine action="IS_ADDED" xlink:href="urn:caml:codes:WIC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2F%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'874'%5D)" xlink:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION" xlink:type="locator">Section is added to the <caml:DocName>Welfare and Institutions Code</caml:DocName>, to read:</caml:ActionLine><caml:Fragment><caml:LawSection id="id_F3CB18A8-0D31-43DB-9016-82D2C0F14FDF"><caml:Num>874.</caml:Num><caml:LawSectionVersion id="id_9734C954-8C0A-429A-8378-CAC6CCF41DE4"><caml:Content><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>An indigent ward or detainee shall be provided basic hygiene products free of charge and shall have guaranteed access to hygiene products, upon their request.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>An indigent ward or detainee shall not be denied access to hygiene products as a disciplinary measure and the provision of hygiene products to an indigent ward or detainee shall not be used as a reward.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Debt shall not accrue to an indigent ward or detainee for the provision of hygiene products, and any debt accrued prior to January 1, 2026, including associated fees, charges, and interest, for the provision of hygiene products shall be discharged.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(d)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Hygiene products” means soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, menstrual products, deodorant, lotion, disinfectant wipes, and single-bladed razors.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>“Indigent ward or detainee” means a ward or detainee confined in a county juvenile facility who has had twenty-five dollars ($25) or less in their trust account over the last seven days.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:LawSectionVersion></caml:LawSection></caml:Fragment></caml:BillSection><caml:BillSection id="id_F3F97349-5FEC-421C-927E-BE3F5FDAB483"><caml:Num>SEC. 3.</caml:Num><caml:Content><xhtml:p>If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to

Part 7 (commencing with

Section 17500) of Division of Title of the Government Code.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:BillSection>"?> REVISIONS: Heading—Line 2.