NCJ Number
156035
Date Published
Unknown
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This report presents the California Department of Corrections' (CDC) projections of correctional institution, parole, and community-based offender populations for fiscal years 1994-95 through 1999-2000, based on the most current available data and existing law.
Abstract
Several factors have contributed to the institutional population increases over the last 10 years. These include court decisions, voter initiatives, and legislation. The most significant recent legislation passed since July 1994 provides that any person convicted of a violent felony as defined would accrue no more than a 15 percent credit reduction on the term of imprisonment. The decline in population growth over the last 6 months was mainly due to the severity of sentences associated with the Three Strikes Law and is expected to be temporary. This law removes any incentive for defendants to expedite their sentencing to prison; many affected defendants have chosen to take their chances on a jury trial instead of plea bargaining. The resulting delays are expected to be temporary and will decline once the existing case backlogs are eliminated. Nevertheless, a 9.8 percent increase in the prison population is expected annually over the next 5 years. The parole population is anticipated to be higher than that of the fall 1994 projections throughout the projection period. The total institution population of civil narcotic addicts and the total number of outpatients supervised in California is also expected to increase. Figures, tables, and discussion of assumptions