Since 2011, when California shifted responsibility for tens of thousands of lower-level felons from the state to the local level, there is evidence that property crime remains higher than it would have been without the realignment policy. But there has been no observable impact on violent crime.
The findings of the report, Realignment, Incarceration and Crime Trends in California, were presented in Sacramento last week by the authors, Magnus Lofstrom, PPIC senior research fellow, and Steve Raphael, PPIC adjunct fellow. Among the issues that emerged in discussion with the audience, were the causes of the property crime increase and additional research that indicates higher staffing for police departments is an effective deterrent for crime.