Criminal Justice Publications

Improving Parolee Substance Use Disorder Treatment Through Medi-Cal

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April 14, 2021 - This report provides background on the ways parolees access substance use disorder treatment (SUDT) through providers who are typically either funded by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or through Medi-Cal (the state’s Medicaid program). It assesses the trade-offs between these two approaches and recommends steps to improve the quality of service and create savings by increasing the utilization of Medi-Cal for parolee SUDT.

The 2021-22 Budget: Authorization of Remote Court Proceedings

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March 12, 2021 - This publication provides our analysis of the Governor's 2021-22 budget proposals to authorize remote court proceedings.

A Review of State Standards and Inspections for Local Detention Facilities

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March 8, 2021 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 On Public Safety Hon. Christina Garcia, Chair

A Review of State Standards and Inspections for Local Detention Facilities

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February 16, 2021 - In this publication, we provide an overview of local detention facilities (such as county jails) in California. We also assess the state’s program for setting minimum facility standards and inspecting these facilities. Finally, we recommend steps to help ensure the success of the program going forward, such as establishing a clear mission and goals for the program and requiring a plan to align the program with this mission and goals.

The 2021-22 Budget: Funding for Trial Court Construction

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February 12, 2021 - This publication provides an overview of the current status of the trial court construction program. It also provides our analysis of the Governor’s 2021-22 budget proposals to consolidate two special funds supporting trial court construction and to fund new court construction projects from the General Fund.

The 2021-22 Budget: Trial Court Operations Proposals

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February 11, 2021 - This publication examines the impacts of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and prior-year reductions on trial court operations. The publication also identifies issues for the Legislature to consider when determining the appropriate level of overall funding for trial court operations in 2021-22 and our analysis of three of the Governor’s major budget proposals for trial court operations.

The 2021-22 Budget: Department of Justice

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February 10, 2021 - This publication provides our analysis of the Governor's 2021-22 January budget proposals related to the support of forensic services and Department of Justice legal services for certain state agencies.

The 2021-22 Budget: Funding for County Probation Departments

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February 2, 2021 - This publication provides our analysis of the Governor’s 2021-22 January budget proposals to provide additional General Fund support for county probation departments including a $10.3 million modification to the grant program created by Chapter 608 of 2009 (SB 678, Leno), a new one-time $50 million grant, and $12.1 million in one-time funding for supervising people released from prison due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The 2021-22 Budget: Correctional Staff Training Proposals

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February 2, 2021 - This publication provides our analysis of the Governor’s 2021-22 January budget proposals to implement various initiatives to improve correctional staff training, including $9.1 million from the General Fund to convert a former prison into a facility to provide hands-on training for staff.

The 2021-22 Budget: Funding for Inmate Meal Costs

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February 2, 2021 - This publication provides our analysis of the Governor’s 2021-22 January budget proposal to support inmate meal costs with a $7.5 million General Fund augmentation as well as savings from vacant plant operations positions.

The 2020-21 Budget: Prison Maintenance and Repair Proposals

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February 2, 2021 - This publication provides our analysis of the Governor’s 2021-22 January budget proposals for prison maintenance and repair, including a $50 million one-time General Fund increase to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s base budget for special repairs and deferred maintenance.

Increasing Oversight of the State Litigation Deposit Fund

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January 28, 2021 - In this report, we (1) provide an overview of the Litigation Deposit Fund (LDF), a state special fund created to receive certain litigation proceeds, (2) review the Legislature’s oversight of the LDF and the use of litigation proceeds, and (3) make recommendations to facilitate increased legislative oversight.

The 2021-22 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

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January 10, 2021 - This report provides a brief summary and initial assessment of the proposed 2021-22 Governor’s Budget.

Correction 1/11/21: Totals for immediate and early action proposals have been corrected.

The 2021-22 Budget: State Correctional Population Outlook

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November 19, 2020 - In this analysis, we (1) provide an overview of the state correctional population; (2) discuss our projections of the population through 2024-25, and (3) comment on how changes in the sizes of these populations could impact state correctional costs in both the near and long term. Specifically, we estimate that the number of inmates, parolees, and wards in the state’s correctional system will significantly decline due to two main factors—operational changes that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and various policy changes recently enacted that will further reduce the size of the state correctional population in the long term. We also estimate that these population declines will substantially slow the expected growth in CDCR’s overall projected costs through 2024-25—partially through the closure of five prisons. This publication is part of our The 2021-22 Budget: California’s Fiscal Outlook series.

The 2020-21 Spending Plan: Judiciary and Criminal Justice

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October 22, 2020 - This post provides an overview of the major judiciary and criminal justice proposals approved as part of the 2020-21 budget package. The 2020 21 budget provides $15.9 billion from the General Fund for judicial and criminal justice programs, including support for program operations and capital outlay projects. This is a decrease of $207 million, or 1.3 percent, below the revised 2019 20 spending level.