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?
Report Alternatives to Incarceration in California By Ryken Grattet, Brandon Martin Apr 17, 2015 Three-plus years after implementing a major realignment of its public safety systems, California continues to face pressure to reduce both its prison and jail populations. California relied on some alternatives to custody-based punishment before realignment but it has been expanding its use of others. Current research on the effects of incarceration and its alternatives offers a general endorsement of the idea that increasing reliance on community-based alternatives is not likely to result in large increases in crime and recidivism. The evidence suggests that the effectiveness of both incarceration and community-based supervision depends on a number of factors, including the rate of incarceration in a given community, the offender characteristics, and the nature of the response to violations during and after supervision. Finally, intensive data collection on county implementation efforts can help the state identify the community-based strategies that produce the best outcomes.
Fact Sheet Felony Arrests in California By Magnus Lofstrom, Alexandria Gumbs, Joseph Hayes, Brandon Martin Apr 14, 2020 After Prop 47, the share of California felony arrests fell. In this fact sheet we review the most common arrests, for violent offenses and property crimes, and discuss the disproportionate arrest rate of African Americans—who are more likely to be released without charges. Data also shows higher arrest rates in less populous areas and greater racial discrepancies in dense areas.
blog post California’s Jail Population Has Plummeted during COVID-19 By Joseph Hayes, Heather Harris May 8, 2020 All counties have released more people from jail than they’ve admitted, but population decreases vary widely across counties.
Fact Sheet Arrests in California’s Counties By Magnus Lofstrom, Justin Goss, Joseph Hayes, Brandon Martin Mar 28, 2019 Arrests vary substantially across the state, with rural counties often seeing higher arrest rates than urban counties. This fact sheet provides a snapshot of overall arrest rates, arrests for different offenses, and racial disparities in California’s diverse counties.
press release Brown Holds Big Lead—Majorities Support Water Bond, Measure to Ease Crime Penalties Sep 23, 2014
blog post Video: The Impact of Proposition 47 on Crime and Recidivism By Mary Severance Jun 25, 2018 In Sacramento last week, PPIC researchers and a panel of state and local experts discussed the impact of Prop 47—California's landmark law that reduced penalties for some lower-level crimes.