blog post Will Proposition 47 Save Money? By Sonya Tafoya, Magnus Lofstrom Nov 20, 2014 Proposition 47 may result in substantial savings because fewer inmates will be housed in county jails. But a closer look suggests expectations may be too optimistic.
blog post Realignment: Progress and Challenges By Magnus Lofstrom Jul 21, 2014 Now that realignment is approaching the three-year mark, has the reform delivered? In some important ways, yes, it has. But a fundamental issue remains.
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.
event Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government Sep 26, 2013 About the Program PPIC research associate Jui Shrestha will discuss the latest PPIC survey, which examines opinions on the state’s plan to reduce prison overcrowding and concern about other crime and public safety issues. It also gauges attitudes toward fracking regulations and views on a range of federal issues—including marijuana legalization, health care reform, and the U.S. response to Syria. This research is supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation. SPEAKER Jui Shrestha, research associate, PPIC
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Sep 25, 2013 Some findings of the current survey: Four in ten Californians say they will not be affected much by health care reform. About a quarter think they will be better off and a similar share think they will be worse off. Half of Californians support the state government’s plan to ease prison overcrowding; most are concerned about the possible early release of prisoners. There is overwhelming support for regulations requiring oil companies to obtain permits and disclose information on chemicals used in fracking and other oil extraction methods. For the first time, a majority of Californians say marijuana use should be legal. Job Approval Ratings: President Obama [PDF] Governor Brown [PDF] California State Legislature [PDF] U.S. Congress [PDF] Senator Boxer [PDF] Senator Feinstein [PDF] Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [PDF] Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [PDF] Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: President Obama [XLS] Governor Brown [XLS] California State Legislature [XLS] U.S. Congress [XLS] Senator Boxer [XLS] Senator Feinstein [XLS] Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [XLS] Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [XLS] Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [PDF] Economic Outlook for California [PDF] Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in California [XLS] Economic Outlook for California [XLS] This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine 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.
press release PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians And Their Government, California Voters: What They Don’t Know Could Hurt Us? May 30, 2007
