SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KERO) — State Senator Shannon Grove introduced Senate Bill 1373 to amend the current mental health diversion statute, aiming to create stricter guidelines on how the law is applied and who is eligible. The bill recently passed the Senate Public Safety Committee.
In December, former Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner was granted mental health diversion and ordered to get mental health counseling and take antidepressants after he was accused of child endangerment and possession of an assault rifle. Grove said the decision was a miscarriage of justice.
WATCH OUR ORIGINAL COVERAGE OF THE SCRIVNER INCIDENT BELOW, WHERE HIS HOME WAS SEARCHED BY AUTHORITIES:
"He assaulted his children that night when he got home, and then he got sentenced to mental health diversion programs that require him to take antidepressants and get mental health counseling. The same medication that he was taking and the same therapy that he was doing when he went home and assaulted his children. We need guardrails on mental health diversion," Grove said.
Flanked by supporters of SB 1373, Grove spoke before a committee hearing on Tuesday to advocate for the bill's advancement. During the hearing, Grove spoke about several cases but honed in on the case against Zack Scrivner.
His son, Robert Scrivner, testified before the committee to detail his experience amid the allegations against his father.
"It's hard to put into words how horrible that night was, but to me and my siblings, it was the most traumatic night of our lives. Senate Bill 1373 matters because survivors of abuse are left with no justice across the state of California. To me and other victims, it is a disgrace that we live in a world where criminals can get the benefit of the doubt and get let off scot-free," Robert Scrivner said.
WATCH OUR COVERAGE BELOW OF WHAT A MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION ENTAILS:
Robert Scrivner added that the current state of mental health diversion is failing people in his situation.
Though many stood in support of advancing the bill, several stood in opposition. In a letter, retired LA County Judge Peter Espinoza, who also directed the county’s office of diversion and reentry, wrote that judicial discretion under the current mental health diversion statute eliminates the need for the amendment.
"SB 1373 is not needed in light of judges' existing discretion under the mental health diversion statute. For these reasons, I urge you to reject SB 1373," Espinoza said.
The bill will now head to Senate Appropriations to determine the feasibility of the costs associated with the amendment. If it passes there, it will head to the Assembly chambers.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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