California’s recidivism rate falls to the lowest level since reporting began; State points to impact of rehabilitative programs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On Wednesday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation published the findings of the latest recidivism report and found that the rate of people returning to detention facilities statewide declined by almost three percent over the previous cycle.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the recidivism rate for fiscal year 2019-2020 was 39.1 percent and that three-year rate is the lowest since reporting began.
The image below from the latest recidivism report graphically displays the results of the study.
The three-year follow-up system tracks people for three years after their release which is a nationally recognized practice and the primary measure of recidivism in the state explained the CDCR in a press release about the report Wednesday.
Wednesday's report evaluated the 34,215 people released from CDCR custody in fiscal year 2019-2020 and provides further details for multiple demographics including: gender, ethnicity, offense, county of release, type of sentence, sex registration status, serious and violent offense, prior incarcerations, mental health status, and risk of reconviction.
The state agency stated that the data in the report indicates that rehabilitative programs have been instrumental in the reduction and this was the third year of reporting since the passage of Proposition 57: The Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016.
Below is a chart from the latest recidivism report showing the recidivism rate from fiscal year 2005-2006 through fiscal year 2019-2020.
Proposition 57, passed in November of 2016, created new opportunities for people convicted of non-violent crimes to earn additional credits for participating in rehabilitative, educational, and career training programs as well as for good behavior.
The recidivism report showed that people who earned those credits had a, "substantially lower conviction rate than people with no enhanced credit earnings", a difference of 35.8 percent versus 44 percent.
The CDCR's Office of Research shared that the COVID-19 pandemic may have been a substantial factor in reducing multiple criminal justice reform efforts.
"Sudden changes to local policing practices, crime rates, court closures, the transfer of court proceedings to electronic/remote proceedings, and the temporary suspension of intakes and transfers to CDCR are only a few factors that likely influenced all three measures of recidivism (arrests, convictions, and returns to prison) downward with the last three cohorts of releases," explained the recidivism report.
The CDCR's Office of Research also breaks down the impact of specific credit programs including for participants in the Fire Camp, Substance Use Disorder Treatment, and Educational and Vocational Programs.
This online dashboard -published by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation- provides additional information about recidivism statewide.
