Restructuring the Court-Ordered Debt Collection Process - Restructuring the Court-Ordered Debt Collection Process [Video]

We recommend improvements to help increase such collections, thus providing more revenue to state and local funds which, in turn, support a variety of programs such as trial court operations and victim assistance programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Videos/player?playlistId=2

Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - Those departments may seek increases in compensation to ensure their pay remains competitive with CDCR —potentially adding still more costs to the state. Extending Licensing Exemptions to Out‑of‑State Licensed Providers State Licensing Policies Limit Pool of Potential Providers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

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 - Being under probation supervision can increase the likelihood a person is arrested for crimes they commit or is referred to relevant  services. Added Time for Certain Theft or Property Damage Felonies.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

The 2026-27 Budget: Estimated State Savings From Proposition 47

Feb 23, 2026 - However, Proposition  36 also increased some penalties that have no impact on Proposition  47 or the amount of savings it generates. For example, it increases punishment for selling drugs in certain cases.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5108

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 11, 2026 - Overall BOF Funding and General Fund Support Increased Over Past Decade. As shown in Figure  2, support for BOF has increased over the past decade from $26.6  million in 2016-17 to $70.4  million in 2025-26 —an increase of $43.8  million (or 165  percent).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5118

The 2026-27 Budget: Judicial Branch

Feb 11, 2026 - The estimated costs of these 17 projects increased to around $14  billion. Similarly, while most of the remaining projects on the 2019 list have not been reassessed, the costs of projects in other parts of the state are likely increasing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5113

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

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Judiciary and Criminal Justice

Oct 24, 2025 - The General Fund amount is a net increase of $340  million (12  percent) from the revised 2024-25 level. This net increase is largely due to the expiration or restoration of reductions included in the 2024-25 budget, increased operational costs, and increased capital outlay costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5085

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