blog post Proposition 187 and a Changing California By Dean Bonner Nov 6, 2019 Twenty-five years ago, California voters approved Prop. 187, which sought to deny most public benefits to undocumented immigrants. Today, most Californians support policies to protect them.
Fact Sheet Proposition 13: 40 Years Later By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Lunna Lopes Jun 18, 2018
Report The Impact of Proposition 47 on Crime and Recidivism By Mia Bird, Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Steven Raphael Jun 12, 2018 Passed by voters in November 2014, Proposition 47 brought broad and significant changes to California’s criminal justice system. Undertaken in the wake of public safety realignment in 2011, Proposition 47 reduced the penalties for certain lower-level drug and property offenses and represented a further step in prioritizing prison and jail space for higher-level offenders.
blog post What Approval Ratings Say about Jerry Brown’s Legacy By Mark Baldassare Dec 17, 2018 One of Jerry Brown's most important legacies as governor of California is the role he played in restoring the public's confidence in state government.
press release Two in Three Likely Voters Support Prop 1, the March Ballot Measure on Behavioral Health Services Dec 6, 2023
Report California’s County Jails in the Era of Reform By Sonya Tafoya, Mia Bird, Ryken Grattet, Viet Nguyen Sep 26, 2016 California’s county jails have been profoundly affected by several reforms over the last decade. Most importantly, in 2011, public safety realignment shifted responsibility for large numbers of non-serious, non-violent, and non-sexual offenders from state prisons to county correctional systems. This lowered the state prison population—allowing prisons to prioritize beds for more serious offenders—but increased county jail populations. Three years later, Proposition 47 downgraded a range of drug and property offenses from potential felonies to misdemeanors. The reduced population pressure has allowed jails to prioritize beds for more serious drug and property offenders who are no longer eligible for prison. Despite the growing importance of jails, little is known about the basic characteristics of jail populations. In this report, we analyze state and local data on individuals moving through county correctional systems. Using data from 11 counties, we find that: Reforms altered the offender composition of the jail population, especially among those held on drug and property crimes. After three years under realignment, the number of drug and property offenders in jails increased by 55 percent and 40 percent, respectively. One year after the passage of Proposition 47, the number of drug and property offenders fell by 35 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Length of stay for felony drug and property offenders increased after realignment. For example, median time served for felony drug offenders released in October 2011 was 45 days, compared to 98 days for those released in October 2015. However, length of stay for people who served time for misdemeanors and felony crimes against persons has remained stable. Releases due to overcapacity rose under realignment and dropped after Proposition 47, when jail population pressure eased. The demographic composition of jails has largely remained stable. But the age distribution does show modest signs of change: the share of those ages 18–21 in jail has decreased slightly, as the share of those in their 30s has increased. As jail populations shift toward more serious drug and property offenders, counties and the state will need to consider how jail security and rehabilitative programs might be made more effective. While researchers and policymakers continue to examine the longer-term effects of realignment and Proposition 47, it is also important to keep in mind that the recent reprioritization of jail beds may have implications for crime and recidivism.
event Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government Sep 27, 2018 A majority of California likely voters favor Democratic candidates in US House races; half say this election is more important to them than past midterms. Gavin Newsom and Dianne Feinstein have double-digit leads in their respective races. Proposition 6 and Proposition 10 are both trailing. PPIC researcher Dean Bonner outlined these and other key findings at a briefing in Sacramento.
event Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government Oct 26, 2018 In the last weeks of the fall campaign, Democrat Gavin Newsom remains ahead of Republican John Cox in the race for governor. In the US Senate race, Dianne Feinstein continues to lead fellow Democrat Kevin de León. At a briefing in Sacramento, PPIC researcher Alyssa Dykman outlined these and other key findings.
