Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - Given that CDCR reports having more success in hiring tele ‑mental health providers, we expect this expansion to reduce vacancies in the long run. Ask Court to Allow Tele ‑Mental Health Providers to Work From Out ‑of ‑State.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 11, 2026 - …Which Will Then Require General Fund Support in the Near Term … The constraints on the firearm special funds means that General Fund support will be needed, at least in the short run, to maintain DOJ firearm operations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5118

The 2026-27 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Feb 23, 2026 - Adding More Licensing Exemptions for Those Who Work at Prisons. Currently, providers with out ‑of ‑state licenses are required to obtain a California license to work in CDCR, though some may use their out ‑of ‑state license on a temporary basis.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5137

Retail Theft in California: Looking Back at a Decade of Change

Jun 12, 2025 - Added Time for Certain Theft or Property Damage Felonies. Chapter  174 of 2024 (S B  1416 , Newman), Chapter  220 of 2024 (A B  1960 , Rivas), and Proposition  36 all added similar language to state law, which allows for increased sentences for people convicted of felonies in which the amount of property that was stolen or damaged is over $50,000,  with longer enhancement terms as the dollar amounts increase.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

The 2025-26 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 19, 2025 - For example, one potential funding option discussed in the report was to increase the specific fee added when individuals are convicted of criminal offenses which generates the revenue deposited into the DNA Identification Fund.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4972

Assessing Community College Programs at State Prisons

Jul 1, 2024 - Given that the results of the recommended data and studies have the potential to notably improve legislative decision ‑making on prison postsecondary education policy and programs moving forward, we believe the added administrative workload is warranted.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4913

Providing Constitutional and Cost-Effective Inmate Medical Care [Publication Details]

Apr 19, 2012 - In this report, we (1) provide a status report on the Receiver’s actions, (2) describe how these actions have impacted inmate medical care spending and outcomes, (3) discuss the experiences of other states that have faced problems similar to California’s in delivering inmate medical care, and (4) provide recommendations for delivering a constitutional level of inmate medical care in the most cost-effective manner as possible in the long run.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/2618

Overview and Update on the Prison Receivership

Nov 8, 2023 - An estimated $194  million was added to the state budget from 2002 ‑03 through 2006 ‑07 to address the problems identified in prison medical care. However, upon further review of the state ’s performance, the federal court found that the state had failed to comply with its orders.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4813

The 2018-19 Budget: Criminal Justice Proposals

Feb 27, 2018 - We note, however, that the department makes requests for support positions on an ad ‑hoc basis rather than annually adjusting these positions for changes in the parolee population like it does for its positions that involve the direct supervision of parolees.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3762

The 2023-24 Budget: May Revision Proposals Related to the California Model and San Quentin State Prison

May 19, 2023 - This would be a significant fiscal commitment that appears to run counter to legislative interest in curbing growth in prison spending. Recommendations Reject Proposed Capital Outlay Funding and Related Statutory Changes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4771