Bill Summary: SB 462

• Establishes the Criminal Justice Commission as an autonomous body within the executive department (effective October 1, 2020), composed of the Chief State's Attorney and six Governor-nominated members appointed by the General Assembly, including two Superior Court judges.

• Requires the Division of Criminal Justice Advisory Board to develop and formally adopt comprehensive written policies covering charging decisions, pretrial release, discovery, diversionary programs, plea agreements, trial conduct, sentencing recommendations, post-sentence recommendations, victim engagement, case management, prosecutorial ethics, and grand jury use.

• Mandates biennial performance evaluations of state's attorneys beginning July 1, 2022, using data-driven metrics including case administration efficiency, demographic disparities in outcomes, proportionality of sentences, office management, fiscal impact, and community health impacts.

• Requires the Chief State's Attorney to establish mandatory training programs for prosecutors (minimum 5 days for new attorneys, 2 days annually for all attorneys) covering racial bias, collateral consequences, sentencing alternatives, victim interview techniques, mental illness, trauma, and reentry.

• Establishes data collection and reporting requirements through the Office of Policy and Management to support commission evaluations, with public availability of prosecutorial policies and performance data on state and judicial district levels.