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January 1, 1994 - In recent years, the Legislature and Governor have enacted numerous laws to respond to the public's concerns with crime in California, including measures to stiffen penalties for existing criminal offenses, define new criminal offenses, construct new correctional facilities, and provide financial assistance to law enforcement. Despite these responses, however, recent polls indicate that fear of crime remains a top concern of Californians. In an effort to put the current discussion of crime in California in perspective, we have prepared this report to answer several key questions.
March 1, 1993 - The Trial Court Realignment and Efficiency Act of 1991 modified the Trial Court Funding Program, enacted by Ch 945/88 (SB 612, Presley), and significantly changed state-local funding relationship for support of the trial courts. However, the Trial Court Funding Program has generally not met the Legislature's expectations or purposes described in statute. In addition, state funding for the program has become more complex and has not increased as intended by the Legislature. We address these and other trial court funding issues in the Analysis of the 1993-94 Budget Bill and recommend that the Legislature assess the progress of the Trial Court Funding Program and determine what changes to the program are necessary to meet the Legislature's purposes.
January 5, 1993 - The California Department of Corrections (CDC) is one of the largest and fastest-growing departments in state government. The department spends about 90 percent of its budget—2.5 billion in 1992-93—on the operation of the state's prison system. As of December 1992, there were 109,141 inmates in state prison (almost double the system's design capacity). In this report, we assess the CDC's recent projections of the prison inmate population and discuss their fiscal implications.
February 1, 1992 - In this analysis, we (1) review the short-term implementation issues surrounding Chapter 90 and the related measures, and (2) identify a number of policy issues that the Legislature will need to address as it considers providing additional support for the trial courts for the budget year and beyond.
December 19, 1991 - A Review of the State Bar Court
February 1, 1991 - Expenditures to support the state's growing prison and parole populations continue to increase at a rapid rate. In addition, the state currently has a limited range of punishment options for many criminal offenders. One potential way to address this growing population in a more effective way is through "community corrections" programs. This approach involves the use of intermediate sanctions as an alternative to state prisons.
February 21, 1990 - Anti-Drug Programs in California
February 21, 1990 - A Series of Drug-Related Pieces: Drug Use in California, Anti-Drug Programs in California, Drug Prevention Programs
January 1, 1990 - This report is submitted in response to Chapter 1579, Statutes of 1988 (Senate Bill 1913, Presley). Chapter 1579 requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to determine whether the Department of Corrections (CDC) and the Department of the Youth Authority (CYA) have adequate education, prevention, and treatment programs related to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and whether the programs are being properly implemented. Additionally, the law requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to assess the quality of AIDS education and prevention programs in county and city jails.
July 1, 1989 - Recommendations for Changes in The Reimbursements of Homicide Trails
February 1, 1989 - Placement Options for Youthful Offenders
April 1, 1988 - In order to assist the Legislature in its review process, this report analyzes two expenditure plans proposed by the bar in pending legislation. Our analysis examines each expenditure plan separately. The first chapter, which describes the expenditures proposed in conjunction with AB 4391, includes expenditures from the bar's General Fund and six special funds. The second chapter, which details the expenditures proposed in support of SB 1498, focuses on the proposed enhancements to the discipline program. The Appendix identifies the combined support of both proposals on the level of bar members' fees from 1989 through 1991.
January 1, 1988 - Our focus in this report is the identification of the Trial Court Funding Program's financial implications, both in the short term and in the long term. These financial implications are significant, and it may be appropriate for the Legislature to consider modifications to the measure in order to increase its effectiveness. In addition, our review of the measure indicates that there are a number of provisions where the Legislature's intent is not clear, or where additional legislative action may be necessary to clarify the technical provisions of the measure or to make them more effective in carrying out their purposes.