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.
blog post Sentence Enhancements: Next Target of Corrections Reform? By Ryken Grattet Sep 27, 2017 California has many sentence enhancements—such as Three Strikes—which increase the usual punishment for an offense. A bill on the governor’s desk would repeal one of them.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Deja Thomas Jun 5, 2023 Californians name economic conditions, homelessness, and housing as the most important issues facing the state today. A majority of Californians favor changing state environmental regulations as a way to increase housing affordability.
blog post Comprehensive Immigration Reform Could Diversify California’s Electorate By Eric McGhee Mar 26, 2021 California is home to about a quarter of the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants. Federal reform that creates a pathway to citizenship would open the door to joining the electorate for millions of California residents.
blog post Video: Congressman Kevin McCarthy in Conversation By Linda Strean Mar 14, 2016 House majority leader Kevin McCarthy talked to a Sacramento audience about national security, water policy, and the similarity between Donald Trump and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
event Corrections Reform in California Apr 21, 2014 About the Program California is making historic changes to its corrections system, shifting key responsibilities from the state to the counties. This shift has reduced the number of people who are incarcerated and created a renewed interest in rehabilitation programs. Please join us for a wide-ranging panel discussion about corrections reform, from reducing recidivism to improving outcomes for individuals and communities. There is no charge to attend, but space is limited. Lunch will be provided.
