event California’s Economic Future Feb 14, 2024 California is a powerhouse of innovation and wealth-building—yet our state has the highest poverty rate in the nation. What policies can best support California’s economic leadership and also ensure that more of its residents benefit from the state’s success? Join Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal and a panel of experts for a wide-ranging conversation on California’s economic future.
Fact Sheet California’s County Jails By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Andrew Skelton Jan 8, 2024 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 County Jails House Fewer Inmates, but Over Half Face Mental Health Issues By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin Oct 25, 2023 While the number of people in California's county jails has declined markedly over the last decade, the share of inmates with mental health needs has grown to more than half of the total jail population.
Report Are Younger Generations Committing Less Crime? By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Deepak Premkumar Sep 27, 2023 Among Californians born in 1993 and later, criminal offending has fallen 20 to 25 percent compared to previous generations. This shift in longstanding trends is a driving factor behind the overall decline in crime over the last decades and has several broader implications for the criminal justice system.
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.
event A Conversation with US HHS Secretary Becerra and California HHS Secretary Ghaly Dec 1, 2022 Almost three years into the COVID-19 crisis, Californians are still grappling with its effects on everything from health to education to the economy. Join Mark Baldassare, PPIC’s president and CEO, along with Xavier Becerra, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, in a wide-ranging conversation about what we learned from the pandemic and what we are doing to ensure greater resilience in the future.
blog post How a New Way of Counting Prisoners Has Changed Redistricting By Jennifer Paluch, Eric McGhee, Heather Harris Nov 2, 2022 For the purposes of drawing state legislative and congressional districts, California now counts state prisoners as residents of their last known address, rather than as residents of prisons. Though the effects are small, communities with large numbers of residents who have been sent to prison now do not lose representation to the few communities in which the prisons are located.
Report Police Use of Force and Misconduct in California By Deepak Premkumar, Alexandria Gumbs, Shannon McConville, Renee Hsia Oct 26, 2021 Nearly 200 Californians die each year in police encounters. Amid growing concern over civilian deaths and racial injustice, we examine what the existing data can—and cannot—tell us about police use of force and misconduct. We also offer recommendations for strengthening the state’s ongoing efforts to improve police transparency and accountability.
blog post California Jails and COVID-19 By Heather Harris, Joseph Hayes Aug 11, 2021 The jail population statewide remains below its pre-pandemic level. Still, more than 15,000 people are housed in overcrowded jail conditions associated with virus proliferation.
