blog post Video: Assessing Corrections Reforms By Linda Strean Oct 3, 2016 California’s historic corrections reforms have succeeded in important ways, but major challenges remain. A panel of state and local experts discussed them.
Report Do Local Realignment Policies Affect Recidivism in California? By Mia Bird, Ryken Grattet Aug 20, 2014 In the aftermath of California’s corrections realignment, recidivism patterns did not change dramatically among offenders released from state prison to county supervision. But early evidence suggests that offenders did better if they were released to counties that emphasized reentry services rather than traditional law enforcement.
Report Expanding Health Coverage in California: County Jails as Enrollment Sites By Shannon McConville, Mia Bird May 10, 2016 In 2014, the first year of Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation, the number of Californians with health insurance increased substantially. However, millions of state residents continue to lack comprehensive health coverage, and those who remain uninsured are likely more difficult to enroll through traditional strategies. In this report, we find that uninsured rates are highest for young men and for those with low levels of education, income, and employment. The prevalence of these same characteristics among correctional populations suggests that the justice system—and, in particular, county jails—may offer points of contact for many uninsured individuals who would otherwise be hard to reach. Outreach and enrollment efforts aimed at local jail populations are set within the policy context of California’s 2011 Public Safety Realignment, which created incentives and resources for local corrections agencies to improve reentry outcomes. With expansions in access to health insurance coverage under the ACA, nearly all counties are establishing programs to provide enrollment assistance to jail inmates as part of a more comprehensive reentry strategy. But resources and capacity are limited, so it is important to identify effective models to maximize the potential of county correctional systems as sites of insurance enrollment.
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 Proposition 57’s Impact on Prisons By Brandon Martin, Magnus Lofstrom Jul 24, 2017 Proposition 57 is expected to reduce the prison population by more than 2,600 inmates in 2017‒18, with a net cost savings of nearly $40 million.
press release Proposition 47 Linked to Increase in Some Property Crimes, But Not Violent Crime Jun 12, 2018
blog post Closing California’s Health Insurance Gap By Shannon McConville, Mia Bird May 11, 2016 County jails may provide an opportunity to reach uninsured Californians, improving both public safety and public health.
blog post Testimony: A Data-Driven Approach to Corrections By Mia Bird Apr 23, 2014 California has effectively created 58 county policy laboratories and with them, the opportunity to use variation in county approaches to identify best practices that can be shared throughout the state and nationwide.
