Blog Dec 2, 2012
Reform cuts marijuana possession arrests 86% in 2011, upends California drug policing
Just-released 2011 arrest statistics from the state Criminal Justice Statistics Center show that pioneering legislation downgrading simple marijuana possession from a criminal offense into an infraction – an effort to deter passage of Proposition 19, which would have legalized marijuana outright – has detonated a revolution in California drug-law enforcement. California’s new arrest figures read like something out of a drug policy reformer’s dream – but with unexpected twists (see table).…
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) , the health reform law passed by the Obama administration and Congress in 2010, will have vast implications for the provision of health services to incarcerated individuals, including expanded access to mental health and substance abuse treatment. An underappreciated impact of California’s AB 109 adult corrections realignment is that county jails are now the primary providers of medical care for long-term realigned inmates. The Community…
Today, the Little Hoover Commission (LHC) hosted a public hearing on bail and sentencing reform in the State Capitol. LHC is an independent state oversight agency created in 1962 to investigate state government operations and promote efficiency, economy and improved service. As part of an ongoing assessment of public safety in California following AB 109 criminal justice realignment in October 2011, the LHC heard testimony regarding the monetary bail system, alternatives to bail, jail…
California is a very diverse state, with 58 counties potentially acting as “laboratories” of policy innovation in the field of juvenile justice. County and state-level practitioners, and policy makers can learn from these successes and model similar programs in their respective jurisdictions. However, these same counties also vary in their ability to address complex pressing challenges, specifically as relates to youth offenders. County-level data-analysis is a necessary building block in…
Yesterday, CJCJ launched its California juvenile justice interactive map , displaying a plethora of data regarding local youth arrest and confinement practices by county. This is particularly pertinent given that California’s statewide trends are so extraordinary: Youth crime in California is at its lowest level since statewide statistics were first compiled in 1954. The county-by-county data paint a more nuanced picture of juvenile justice in California. Among its 58 counties, the…