Fact Sheet Law Enforcement Staffing in California By Brandon Martin, Magnus Lofstrom, Andrew Skelton Jan 8, 2024 Law enforcement is funded largely at the local level, and almost half of California’s law enforcement officers work for municipal police departments. Staffing levels continued to drop in 2022, though losses vary across agencies.
Report Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal Courts By Heather Harris Apr 12, 2023 California’s criminal courts quickly adopted policies to address COVID-19. But uneven adoption around the state affected who might face those policies—as well as whether people were convicted and the sentences handed out. In particular, remote hearings contributed to racial differences in outcomes, which may influence whether such hearings continue.
Report Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Arrests in California By Deepak Premkumar, Thomas Sloan, Magnus Lofstrom, Joseph Hayes Feb 7, 2023 At the onset of COVID-19, California’s criminal justice system was affected by shelter-in-place orders and other public health measures, along with law enforcement directives intended to minimize exposure to the virus. We found that pandemic arrest trends mirror mobility patterns, particularly early on. But other factors, such as a shift in policing strategies, also played a role.
blog post What Can California Prisons Do When Wildfires Close In? By Heather Harris, Alexandria Gumbs, Joseph Hayes Nov 13, 2020 Two in three prisons across the state are near areas of high fire risk. Especially during the pandemic, safely evacuating prisoners and prison workers in the event of a wildfire can pose challenges.
blog post Addressing the Outbreak in San Quentin: Lessons from 1918 By Heather Harris Jul 16, 2020 Outbreaks in California prisons during the Spanish flu epidemic could inform how to address the current COVID-19 spread in San Quentin.
blog post Prison Admissions Resume as COVID-19 Spreads By Heather Harris Jun 12, 2020 California has resumed prison admissions after an eight-week moratorium, a change that – if it leads to increased crowding -- could put the prison population at heightened risk of contracting COVID-19.
blog post Severe COVID-19 Infections May Threaten California’s Prisons By Heather Harris Mar 27, 2020 California invests more than any other state in prisoners’ health. Still, living conditions that make social distancing difficult and other factors could make the state’s prison population especially susceptible to a coronavirus outbreak.
Fact Sheet California’s Prison Population By Joseph Hayes, Justin Goss, Heather Harris, Alexandria Gumbs Jul 22, 2019 Many of California’s inmates live in overcrowded conditions, despite successful efforts to stabilize the prison population systemwide. This fact sheet provides a snapshot of the state’s prisons, highlighting the most current information on racial disparities, health costs, and other key issues.
Report Recidivism of Felony Offenders in California By Mia Bird, Justin Goss, Viet Nguyen Jun 19, 2019 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 Video: A Conversation with California’s Legislative Leadership By Mary Severance Feb 4, 2019 Toni Atkins, president pro tem of the California State Senate, talks with PPIC’s Mark Baldassare about key challenges and opportunities facing California and how state policymakers can address them.
