Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - As discussed in the “Inpatient Mental Health Beds ” section in our brief The 2025‑26 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and shown in Figure 8, CDCR is operating 713 inpatient beds in excess of the amount projected to be necessary.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 11, 2026 - We recommend the Legislature modify the Governor ’s proposal to shift $8  million in BOF costs from the DROS Special Account to the General Fund annually through 2028-29. Specifically, we recommend approving this shift for only one year.
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