Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez has been appointed to the Board of State and Community Corrections, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office announced on Monday evening. The position will require state Senate confirmation.

The board works with local corrections systems and assists efforts to reduce recidivism.

"It is an honor to be appointed by Gov. Newsom to the Board of State and Community Corrections. I look forward to working with the distinguished members of the Board on so many important issues related to our corrections system," Chavez said in a statement.

The board includes parole officials, sheriffs and nonprofits working to reduce repeat offenses that send people back to prison. It was established by state law effective July 1, 2012, as an independent body to provide leadership and technical assistance to the adult and juvenile criminal justice systems. It oversees former Gov. Jerry Brown’s prison and public safety realignment goals that keep nonviolent, nonserious and nonsexual offenders in local facilities where support services can help them successfully reintegrate into their communities.

In 2004, the Corrections Standards Authority replaced the state Board of Corrections within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after an independent panel found that California's prison system had out-of-control costs and the highest recidivism rate in the nation.