Report Key Factors in California’s Jail Construction Needs By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin May 7, 2014 Now that California has shifted responsibility for many criminal offenders to the counties, county jail systems face greater capacity challenges. This report highlights two important factors in addressing jail capacity constraints: aging jail facilities and long-term needs. We show that a number of facilities are old and likely in need of costly updates or replacement and that growth in the state’s population is likely to exert significant pressure on the county jail system. Our analysis suggests that a thoughtful combination of further jail construction and decreased reliance on incarceration is needed, given the magnitude of the current and future jail needs.
Report Public Safety Realignment and Crime Rates in California By Steven Raphael, Magnus Lofstrom Dec 10, 2013 Public safety realignment substantially reduced the state’s prison population. Between 2011 and 2012, property crime increased in California as a result of this policy change. Auto theft increased most dramatically, by 14.8 percent—or about 24,000 per year. By contrast, violent crime rates did not appear to be affected. This research was supported with funding from the Smith Richardson Foundation.
Report Impact of Realignment on County Jail Populations By Steven Raphael, Magnus Lofstrom Jun 20, 2013 Has California’s historic public safety realignment shifted the problem of overcrowding from state prisons to county jails? This report finds that the shift of most lower-level offenders to the counties has increased the statewide county jail population but decreased the overall incarceration rate. The authors also examine county-level factors outside the direct impact of realignment that help explain variations in jail population growth. This research was supported with funding from the Smith Richardson Foundation.
Report Capacity Challenges in California’s Jails By Magnus Lofstrom, Katherine Kramer Sep 27, 2012 In an effort widely known as "realignment,” California has given its counties enormous new responsibilities for corrections—including authority over many new types of felony offenders and parolees. Rather than go to state prison, these offenders now go to county jail or receive an alternative sanction. In the first few months of realignment, California’s jail population increased noticeably—but many jails were already facing capacity concerns. We find that some offenders who would have been incarcerated prior to realignment are now either not locked up or are not spending as much time in jail. Going forward, counties will need to consider a wide variety of approaches for handling their capacity concerns and their expanded offender populations.
Report Rethinking the State-Local Relationship: Corrections By Dean Misczynski Aug 24, 2011 California is pursuing historic changes to its corrections system. Key responsibilities will soon shift from the state to the counties. This report provides an overview of the changes, examines the funding issues, and considers what this shift in responsibility will mean for both state and county government. This report is part of a PPIC series on rethinking the state-local relationship. The series includes: An Overview of Realignment Child Welfare Services K-12 Education Local Economic Development This work is supported by funding from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and by contributions of unrestricted support to PPIC's Donor Circle.
California Counts, Report Who’s In Prison? The Changing Demographics of Incarceration By Amanda Bailey, Joseph Hayes Aug 9, 2006 This issue of California Counts examines in detail the new demographics of California’s prisons. Since 1990, the number of prisoners in California has risen three times faster than the state's overall adult population, to almost 168,000 prisoners in 2005. Researchers also found that adults younger than 25 account for a declining segment of the prison population while the share of adults 50 and older has nearly tripled, and that the state’s San Joaquin Valley and Inland Empire regions contribute disproportionately to the inmate population.
