Publication

 March 2023

California: The State of Incarceration, Explained

Overview

California is one of the epicenters of mass incarceration in the United States. Given the challenges of accessing timely, easily interpretable data, painting a complete picture of incarceration in the state has been difficult. A new Vera resource—California: The State of Incarceration—consolidates criminal legal system data for every California county so that anyone can find out what’s happening in their community. This fact sheet shares high-level findings and explains how you can use this new data tool to help transform the system.

Key Takeaway

Using the information in Vera’s California data hub, community members, advocates, and policymakers can work to change California’s system of mass incarceration.

Key Facts

In 2021, 75% of the people in California jails had pending charges for which they had not been convicted, many because they cannot afford to pay bail.
Rural and small to mid-sized counties have the highest incarceration rates.
The state’s prison and jail populations are shrinking while spending on the criminal legal system is increasing.
In 2021, only 12% of California’s arrests were for violent felonies; the vast majority of people arrested were charged with misdemeanors.