Policy Brief Policy Brief: Pandemic Policymaking and Changed Outcomes in Criminal Courts By Heather Harris, Stephanie Barton Apr 12, 2023 Remote hearings are the major policy to endure from pandemic interventions introduced by California criminal courts. When remote hearings were in place, misdemeanor convictions fell—and courts tended to hand out probation or fines for these crimes, especially among white, Latino, and Black defendants.
Report Proposition 47’s Impact on Racial Disparity in Criminal Justice Outcomes By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Steven Raphael Jun 23, 2020 Proposition 47, which reclassified a number of drug and property offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, has led to a marked decrease in racial disparities in arrests and bookings in California. But rates remain significantly higher for African Americans than for other groups.
blog post Video: The Impact of Realignment on Recidivism By Linda Strean Dec 18, 2017 Public safety realignment has had a modest effect on recidivism, varying across counties and groups of offenders. These are the findings of a new PPIC report presented in Sacramento.
event Recidivism of Felony Offenders in California Jun 20, 2019 One of the main goals of California’s recent corrections reforms was reducing the state’s persistently high recidivism rates. In the years following public safety realignment in 2011, have rearrest and reconviction rates for felony offenders changed? PPIC researcher Mia Bird will outline findings from a new report.
blog post Progress under Prop 47 but Racial Disparities Persist in California Arrests By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin Jun 4, 2020 A key voter-approved reform has decreased arrests disparities between African Americans and whites, but a significant and pervasive divide remains.
Report How Has Proposition 47 Affected California’s Jail Population? By Sonya Tafoya, Mia Bird, Ryken Grattet, Viet Nguyen Mar 30, 2016 Passed by the voters in 2014, Proposition 47 reduced penalties for certain drug and property crimes. This change led to dramatic declines in the state's jail population, driven by decreases in arrests, convictions, and jail time for Proposition 47 offenders. This research was supported with funding from The California Endowment.
blog post Next Steps for Proposition 57 By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin Nov 9, 2016 The passage of Proposition 57 brings significant changes to California’s criminal justice system.
blog post Testimony: Bail and Pretrial Detention By Sonya Tafoya Feb 19, 2016 California’s median bail amount is five times higher than the rest of the nation. Its large urban counties are also more likely than similar counties in the US to hold unsentenced defendants in jail pending trial.
Report Realignment and Recidivism in California By Mia Bird, Ryken Grattet, Viet Nguyen Dec 11, 2017 California has experienced significant changes in its criminal justice landscape since the 2011 implementation of public safety realignment—which shifted the management of lower-level offenders from the state prison and parole system to county jail and probation systems. The prison population has dropped dramatically, and though jail populations rose, overall incarceration levels have declined.
press release Impact of Public Safety Realignment on Recidivism Varies across Counties, Groups of Offenders Dec 11, 2017
