Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - While CDCR is not allowed to use tele ‑mental health services in inpatient settings, the Coleman court allows up to 50  percent of outpatient providers —those working with the CCCMS or EOP populations —to be remote.
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 - 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 California Spending Plan: Judiciary and Criminal Justice

Oct 24, 2025 - . $3  million General Fund in 2025-26 (increasing to $4.4  million in 2026-27 and ongoing) to staff the newly constructed 50-bed mental health crisis facility at the California Institution for Men (CIM) in Chino.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5085

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

Overview and Update on the Prison Receivership

Nov 8, 2023 - Notably, from 2004 ‑05 (the year before the Receivership) through 2021 ‑22 (the most recent year for which complete data exist), the pharmaceutical budget increased from $212  million to $319  million after adjusting for inflation —an increase of 50  percent.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4813

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Judiciary and Criminal Justice

Oct 16, 2023 - The budget also reflects the internal redirection of $13.8  million ongoing General Fund —$6.2  million from the Civil Law subdivision and $7.6  million from the California Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) —to support a new Office of General Counsel.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4805

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 6 (Corrections)

Sep 7, 2023 - Unit 6 members hired before 2013 earn a pension benefit based on what is referred to as the 3 percent at 50 formula whereby an employee earns 3 percent of their final compensation for every year of service if they retire at the age of 50 years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4800

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

The 2024-25 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Feb 22, 2024 - There have been 263 incarcerated people and 50 staff who have had COVID ‑19 ‑related deaths. During this time period, CDCR implemented several restrictions and operational changes to reduce the spread of the virus within its institutions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4852