The 2025-26 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 19, 2025 - In our review of DOJ ’s March  2022 report, we identified various concerns about the viability of the other potential funding options identified. 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

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

Jun 12, 2025 - For example, if the affected property is worth more than $50,000 but not more than $200,000, a year can be added to the person ’s sentence. If the property is worth more than $200,000 but not more than $1,000,000, two years can be added. ✘ Proposition 36 (2024) Allows up to three years to be added to the sentences of people who worked with two or
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

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: Department of Justice

Feb 11, 2026 - However, beginning in 2022-23, expenditures began outpacing revenues, shrinking the fund balance. The Governor ’s budget estimates that the DROS Special Account will be insolvent in 2026-27 if no action is taken.
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

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

Oct 24, 2025 - Other major General Fund adjustments include: $357.8  million reappropriation of unspent funds from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 budgets to 2024-25 to pay for deficits in CDCR ’s general security program and medical care programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5085

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

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 6 (Corrections)

Sep 7, 2023 - In 2018, the Legislature approved and the Governor signed Chapter  174 ( AB 2550 , Weber), adding Section 2644 of the Penal Code. This law seeks to protect females in prison from sexual assault, abuse, and other improper contact with male correctional officers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4800

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 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Judiciary and Criminal Justice

Oct 16, 2023 - As shown in the figure, the prison population is projected to decrease by about 3,200 (3  percent) from 96,100 in 2022-23 to 92,900 in 2023-24. The parole population is projected to decrease by about 2,000 (5  percent) from 39,200 in 2022-23 to 37,200 in 2023-24.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4805