blog post Video: Rating Realignment By Linda Strean Oct 7, 2015 Local law enforcement and corrections officials have risen to the challenge of California’s public safety realignment, a panel of local and state officials concluded last week. They also concurred that big challenges remain.
Fact Sheet California’s Prison Population By Heather Harris, Sean Cremin Sep 12, 2024 After falling sharply in the first year of the pandemic, California’s prison population is now at a 30-year low. Meanwhile, the average annual cost of imprisoning a person has risen almost 50% since 2019. Most people in California prisons have been convicted of violent crimes; some racial groups are imprisoned at disproportionate rates.
blog post How California Reduced Its Prison Population By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin Feb 6, 2015 The state has reduced its prison population by the court-mandated target, but not—as reform proponents hoped—by a major reduction in costly prison incarceration.
Report California Prison Programs and Reentry Pathways By Heather Harris, Brandon Martin, Sean Cremin Jun 26, 2024 In recent years, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has expanded programs that support community reintegration. But participation has been low. A new report details the rehabilitative needs of people in prison, CDCR efforts to expand programs to meet those needs, and factors that may affect participation.
blog post Video: Alternatives to Incarceration By Linda Strean May 11, 2015 A panel of state and local corrections officials talk about alternatives to prison and jail that are cost-effective, hold offenders accountable, and don’t harm public safety.
event California Prison Programs and Reentry Pathways Jul 16, 2024 In recent years, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has expanded its rehabilitative programs. But participation has been low. PPIC researcher Heather Harris will present a new report detailing the education, employment, and behavioral needs of people in prison, CDCR efforts to expand programs to meet those needs, and factors that may affect participation.
Report Health Care for California’s Jail Population By Shannon McConville, Mia Bird Jun 18, 2014 The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has created a new opportunity for California to reach and enroll a medically vulnerable population—the jail population—in health insurance coverage. While inmates receive health care services from county jail systems while incarcerated, few have coverage after they are released from custody. Expansion of the state’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) under the ACA has extended insurance eligibility to much of the currently uninsured jail population. As a complement to the ACA, California recently signed into law Assembly Bill 720 (AB 720), which facilitates the use of jails as sites of health insurance enrollment. Increasing enrollment levels for the jail population holds the potential to reduce corrections costs, as well as improve public health and safety.
