Community Resources
Aunt Bertha’s free search tool is now called findhelp.org. Findhelp.org will continue to connect all people in need to the programs that serve them (with dignity and ease)
Help starts here. 211 connects you to expert, caring help. Every call is completely confidential.
ARCAID is the “Automated Rehabilitative Catalog and Information Discovery” Application. This application is a self-service platform for offenders to find services, jobs, and forms and documents throughout their community to assist them in their reintegration and rehabilitation process.
Voting Rights
You can register to vote and vote if you are:
- A United States citizen and a resident of California
- 18 years old or older on Election Day
- Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
- Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court
Persons with a criminal history who can register to vote:
- In county jail awaiting trial
- In county jail serving a misdemeanor sentence
- On probation
- On parole
- On mandatory supervision
- On post-release community supervision (PRCS)
- On federal supervised release
- A person with a juvenile wardship adjudication
Persons with a criminal history who cannot register and vote:
- Currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony imprisoned in:
- State prison
- Federal prison
- County jail or other correctional facility
NOTE: Once you have finished serving your term, your right to vote is restored; however, you must register online at RegisterToVote.ca.gov or by filling out a paper voter registration card.
How to register to vote
You may request a voter registration card from the Secretary of State or your county elections office. If you are in jail and you are eligible to vote, you are entitled to receive a voter registration card.
You may also apply to register to vote on the Secretary of State’s website RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Your voter registration application must be received or postmarked at least fifteen (15) days before Election Day to be eligible to vote in that election. In elections conducted by your county elections official, you can “conditionally” register and vote provisionally at your county elections office after the 15-day voter registration deadline. For more information, please go to the Secretary of State’s webpage on same day voter registration and voting (https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg) or contact your county elections official.
Voter registration cards and voting materials are available in English, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. Voter registration cards are available at most public libraries and government offices. See the attached list for state and local elections office contact information.
Vote by Mail
If you are already registered to vote at your current home address, you may request a vote-by-mail ballot application by contacting your county elections office. Once you receive your vote-by-mail ballot application, you must complete and return it to your county elections office at least seven (7) days before Election Day.
If you are not registered to vote at your current home address, you may register or re-register to vote and request a vote-by-mail ballot on the Secretary of State’s website RegisterToVote.ca.gov.
Release from Custody
If you requested a vote-by-mail ballot but are released from custody before you receive your ballot, you can still vote. Just go to the polling place for your home address or any polling place in the county where you are registered and vote a provisional ballot.
If you change your name, home address, mailing address, or party preference you must complete a new voter registration card.
Resources
For more information, contact your county elections office at California Secretary of State | (800) 345-VOTE (8683) | www.sos.ca.gov | https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov
Local Resources
211 can be accessed by phone or computer at 211.org. A toll-free call to 211 connects you to a community resource specialist in your area who can put you in touch with local organizations that provide critical services. You will find information about supplemental food and nutrition programs. Your parole agent or APU staff member can provide you with more information about how to connect directly with a 211 Reentry Specialist in your area.
Contact your parole agent and/or a member of the APU located at each parole office for information about these programs or services in your area.
Sex Offender Supervision / Registration / Treatment
Containment Model/Polygraph/Tiered Supervision/GPS Devices
Sex Offender Supervision
As a tool in its enhanced supervision, CDCR continues to operate one of the largest Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring programs by a single law enforcement agency in the United States. Since 2008, CDCR has been monitoring all sex offender parolees in the community with GPS technology. CDCR, DAPO continues to be one of the nation’s leading law enforcement agencies in the application of innovative community supervision methods related to sex offenders. CDCR’s Sex Offender Management Program (SOMP) was implemented in September 2014, incorporating a collaborative approach to sex offender supervision and management. The SOMP is a comprehensive program consisting of enhanced supervision, sex offender-specific treatment, polygraph use and victim advocacy, and meets the statutory requirements outlined in PC Section 3008 (also known as Chelsea’s Law). Intended for the management of all parolees required to register with law enforcement pursuant to PC Section 290, the SOMP is an evidence-based approach to sex offender management utilizing multiple risk assessments to drive tiered supervision classifications.
Chelsea’s Law
On September 9, 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1844, also known as the Chelsea King Child Predator Prevention Act of 2010, or Chelsea’s Law. The legislation was introduced by Assembly Member Nathan Fletcher, in collaboration with the King family, in response to the murder of their 17-year-old daughter Chelsea, by registered sex offender John Albert Gardner.
Multiple PC sections were affected by AB 1844 including increased penalties for sex offender parolees, closer oversight of sex offenders, mandatory sex offender treatment and longer parole periods for felony sex crimes involving physical contact with children. Chelsea’s Law also mandated the implementation of a “Containment Model” used to manage sex offenders under supervision.
Sex Offender Registration
Mission
The mission of the California Sex Offender Registry is to provide accurate and timely information to the law enforcement community and the general public concerning sex offender registration in California.
Overview
In 1947, California became the first state in the nation to enact a sex offender registration law that required offenders convicted of specified offenses to register with their local law enforcement agency. This practice is still in place and the California Sex and Arson Registry (CSAR) serves as the statewide repository for information on registered sex offenders. Today, the California Sex Offender Registry continues to provide a wide range of services that support and assist the law enforcement community with the monitoring and registration of over 120,000 California sex offenders. These services include maintaining and providing information to the general public via the California Megan’s Law Internet Web site.
The California Sex Offender Registry at the California Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains the registered sex offender database. The database is the basis for the information displayed on this website.
By law, persons convicted of specified sex crimes are required to register as sex offenders with a local law enforcement agency. Prior to release from prison, jail, a mental hospital, or on probation, sex offenders who are required to register are notified in writing of their duty to register. This information is then forwarded to DOJ. When a sex offender is released into the community, he or she must register within 5 working days at the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over his or her residence. The registering agency forwards the registration information to DOJ.