blog post Falling Jail Populations Have Eased Overcrowding in Most County Jails By Brandon Martin, Magnus Lofstrom Feb 15, 2024 California jails have historically faced capacity issues that required counties to release people early. However, a close look at jail populations in the wake of the pandemic shows that overcrowding is now an issue in just a handful of counties.
blog post Video: A Conversation with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas By Stephanie Barton Feb 2, 2024 Speaker Robert Rivas talks with PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye about his approach to leadership, some key legislative priorities, and how his personal history has shaped his views on public policy.
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.
blog post College Enrollment Is Holding Steady among First-time Students at UC and CSU By Hans Johnson, Jacob Jackson Jun 20, 2023 Many public universities across the US have experienced declining enrollment in recent years. The University of California and California State University systems have largely bucked this trend, though pandemic disruptions and other factors raise questions about the future.
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.
blog post Storms, Floods, and COVID-19 Have Worsened Long-standing Farmworker Housing Challenges By Paulette Cha Apr 12, 2023 High housing costs in California have long been a major challenge, especially for low-income residents. Recent crises have added to the housing woes facing California farmworkers.
blog post COVID-19’s Sobering Effect on Life Expectancy By Hans Johnson, Eric McGhee Jan 27, 2023 Life expectancy has declined dramatically during the pandemic. Both in California and nationally, it fell almost a full two years in 2020, and provisional estimates suggest further declines in 2021.
