Document Type

Cal State Document

Publication Date

2003

Abstract

Senate Bill 780, effective January 1, 2002, enacted two new laws: the California Freedom of Access to Clinic and Church Entrances (or California FACE) Act, and the Reproductive Rights Law Enforcement Act. The Reproductive Rights Law Enforcement Act added sections 13775 through 13779 to the California Penal Code requiring the Attorney General to collect and analyze information relating to anti-reproductive-rights crimes and submit a report to the Legislature. This publication is the result of that mandate.

An "anti-reproductive-rights crime" is defined in section 13776 (a) of the California Penal Code as "a crime committed partly or wholly because the victim is a reproductive health services client, provider, or assistant, or a crime that is partly or wholly intended to intimidate the victim, any other person or entity, or any class of persons or entities from becoming or remaining a reproductive health services client, provider, or assistant."

In order to collect crime statistics mandated by the Reproductive Rights Law Enforcement Act, the Department of Justice (DOJ) mailed Information Bulletin 02-09-BCIA (June 2002) to California law enforcement agencies throughout the state. This bulletin announced new statistical reporting requirements for anti-reproductive-rights crimes, as well as the development of an automated reporting system. Guidelines for sending these crime data to the DOJ were provided in Information Bulletin 02-15- BCIA (see Appendices).

Information collected by the department includes the date of event; the county and law enforcement jurisdiction where the crime occurred; the number of crime events, offenses, victims, and suspects involved; the type of offenses committed~ (e.g., vandalism); the offense level (felony or misdemeanor); the nature of the crime (violent or nonviolent); the location of the crime (e.g., a health facility); whether or not a weapon was used (if so, what kind); the race/ethnic group, gender, and age of the victims and suspects involved; a description of involved property (e.g., automobile or structure); the type of property damage; and the estimated value of that property.

This publication includes information reported to the DOJ by California law enforcement agencies for 2003. A data spreadsheet, which allows the reader to evaluate information pertaining to each anti-reproductive-rights crime reported, is included. Data tables, which organize and quantify these data, are also included. Because this is the first year antireproductive- rights crime data have been reported to the DOJ, and until trend data become available, conclusions based on the information in this report should be reached with caution.

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