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Fact Sheet

California’s County Jails

By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Andrew Skelton

The statewide jail population is significantly lower than it was before the pandemic. The population is largely male and being held for felonies.

blog post

California–State of Change

By Mark Baldassare

As leaders from government, business, and philanthropy gathered last week to discuss California’s future, we were reminded once again that these are exciting times in our state.

Report

Recidivism of Felony Offenders in California

By Mia Bird, Justin Goss, Viet Nguyen

California’s recent corrections reforms aimed to reduce persistently high recidivism rates. In the years following public safety realignment in 2011, have rearrest and reconviction rates for felony offenders changed?

blog post

Will Proposition 47 Save Money?

By Sonya Tafoya, Magnus Lofstrom

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.

Report

Expanding Health Coverage in California: County Jails as Enrollment Sites

By Shannon McConville, Mia Bird

In 2014, the first year of Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation, the number of Californians with health insurance increased substantially. However, millions of state residents continue to lack comprehensive health coverage, and those who remain uninsured are likely more difficult to enroll through traditional strategies.

In this report, we find that uninsured rates are highest for young men and for those with low levels of education, income, and employment. The prevalence of these same characteristics among correctional populations suggests that the justice system—and, in particular, county jails—may offer points of contact for many uninsured individuals who would otherwise be hard to reach.

Outreach and enrollment efforts aimed at local jail populations are set within the policy context of California’s 2011 Public Safety Realignment, which created incentives and resources for local corrections agencies to improve reentry outcomes. With expansions in access to health insurance coverage under the ACA, nearly all counties are establishing programs to provide enrollment assistance to jail inmates as part of a more comprehensive reentry strategy. But resources and capacity are limited, so it is important to identify effective models to maximize the potential of county correctional systems as sites of insurance enrollment.

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