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August 5, 2011 - On May 23, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in a lawsuit against the state involving prison overcrowding. Specifically, the court upheld the ruling of a federal three–judge panel requiring the state to reduce overcrowding in its prisons to 137.5 percent of its “design capacity” within two years. The court’s decision will almost certainly result in some of the most dramatic changes to the state’s prison system in decades. The realignment plan that the Legislature recently enacted could go a long way toward meeting the court’s requirements. Our analysis, however, indicates that the realignment plan alone is unlikely to reduce overcrowding sufficiently within the two–year deadline set by the court. This indicates to us that, as the U.S. Supreme Court suggested, a somewhat longer timeframe is warranted. In addition, we recommend that the Legislature consider how the overcrowding reduction will affect the types of prison facilities California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has planned to build. Finally, we recommend that the Legislature provide CDCR with more flexibility to use contract beds in order to manage overcrowding, particularly in the near term. Addressing these issues would help to better plan for a dramatically reduced state inmate population within the state’s current fiscal situation.
May 11, 2011 - Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 5 on Corrections, Public Safety, and the Judiciary
February 15, 2011 - Joint Legislative Audit Committee Hon. Ricardo Lara, Chair Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Public Safety Hon. Gilbert Cedillo, Chair
January 27, 2011 - Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 5 On Corrections, Public Safety and the Judiciary Hon. Loni Hancock, Chair
January 25, 2011 - Presented to: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 5 On Corrections, Public Safety, and the Judiciary Hon. Loni Hancock, Chair
January 25, 2011 - In this brief, we (1) provide an overview of the Governor’s budget proposals for the judicial branch and (2) recommend specific actions to achieve savings, while at the same time minimizing the impacts on access to the courts. Some of our cost-saving recommendations include changes in court reporting practices, utilizing competitive bidding for court security, contracting out for court interpreter services, and offsetting General Fund costs with other fund sources in the judicial branch.
January 24, 2011 - The Governor’s budget for 2011-12 provides an additional $395 million in General Fund support for CDCR for expenses that the department indicates have exceeded its budget authority in previous years.
November 9, 2010 - Presented to Assembly Public Safety Committee
November 4, 2010 - Presented to: Joint Legislative Audit Committee Hon. Alyson Huber, Chair
September 27, 2010 - Presented to: Senate Committee on Public Safety Hon. Mark Leno, Chair Assembly Committee on Public Safety Hon. Tom Ammiano, Chair
June 7, 2010 - Presented to the Budget Conference Committee.
May 26, 2010 - Presented to: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Hon. Denise Moreno Ducheny, Chair
May 12, 2010 - We were requested by a Member of the Legislature to do a fiscal analysis of AB 1844, as amended on April 28, 2010. As is our standard practice, we also shared our response with the author of the bill, Assembly Member Nathan Fletcher.
May 11, 2010 - Presented to: Assembly Committee on Public Safety Hon. Tom Ammiano, Chair
March 18, 2010 - Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 4 On State Administration Hon. Mark DeSaulnier, Chair