SECTIONS 1915 - California Statutes

WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE

SECTION 1915

1915. (a) The Department of the Youth Authority shall purchase,
after a competitive bidding process, two medical devices that utilize
a laser to remove a tattoo from a person's skin. The department
shall determine, through a competitive bidding process, the placement
of the two medical devices pursuant to the following guidelines:
(1) One of the medical devices shall be located within Los Angeles
County and the other shall be located within one of the following
counties: Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa
Cruz.
(2) Possible sites may include: a licensed health facility, a
licensed health clinic, an educational institution, or a probation
office. The department may enter into an agreement with a licensed
health facility to permit the health facility to use the medical
device when it is not needed for tattoo removal pursuant to this
section if the health facility provides tattoo removal services
pursuant to this section free of charge.
(3) The medical devices shall remain the property of the state.
However, they shall be used in conjunction with the tattoo removal
program pursuant to this section for the functional life of the
medical devices.
(b) Candidates for tattoo removal shall be screened by community
groups working collaboratively with the operators of the sites of the
tattoo removal devices. A male candidate for tattoo removal shall
have a tattoo on his lower arm, hand, neck, or head. A female
candidate for tattoo removal shall have a tattoo that would be
visible in a professional work environment. To be eligible for
participation, the presence of the tattoo must be deemed to present
either a threat to the personal safety of, or an obstacle to the
employability of, the candidate. Priority shall be given to
candidates who have a job offer that is contingent upon removal of
the tattoo. At the discretion of the organization that screens a
candidate, a candidate for this tattoo removal may be required to
complete 20 hours of supervised public service work in order to
participate in this program. Parental consent shall be required
before the tattoo of any person under 18 years of age is removed.
Community groups recommended pursuant to this subdivision shall
meet the following criteria:
(1) Serve at-risk youth, exoffenders, exconvicts, or current and
former gang members.
(2) Possess an established record of providing community-based
services for at least one year to the persons described in paragraph
(1).
(c) Community groups that participate in this program and the
operators of the sites of the tattoo removal devices shall solicit
the pro bono services of licensed health care providers to
participate in the program in order to increase the number of
individuals served.
(d) It is the intent of the Legislature that at least 200 tattoo
removals shall be performed at each tattoo removal site in its first
year of operation. After two years of operation, community groups
that participate in this program and the operators of each site shall
report to the Department of the Youth Authority on the number of
tattoo removals performed by each device and the success of the
program in assisting individuals to join the work force. By March 1,
2000, the Department of the Youth Authority shall report these
findings to the Legislature.
(e) It is the intent of the Legislature to expand these pilot
programs as rapidly as possible to other areas of the state where
there is gang violence and where there are active community-based
gang violence prevention programs.