California Prison Downsizing and Its Impact on Local Criminal Justice Systems

The Brown v. Plata decision ordered California to reduce its prison population by 25%, forcing it to embark on a prison downsizing experiment of historical significance that transferred authority for large numbers of convicted felons from the state to its counties. Counties were given funding to deal with the increased number of offenders and broad discretion to develop custodial and post-custody plans. This presentation discusses the impact of this experiment on local criminal justice systems.