California
California is Using Virtual Reality on People in Prison, and It's Working
In California, the birthplace of much of the world’s technology innovation, virtual reality is being used in an unexpected setting: inside prisons.
Corrections
Corrections
California Prison Health Care Is Still Failing: Audit Exposes Dangerous Conditions Despite Billions in Funding
Job vacancies in prison and state hospital health care have grown even as California has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to fill medical and mental health positions, according to a new state audit.
Corrections
New Interactive Dashboards Transform Access to California Prison Data
A new set of interactive data tools is providing Californians with an unprecedented look inside the state’s prison system. Developed by the California Policy Lab in partnership with the state’s Committee on the Revision of the Penal Code, the California Prison Population Data Dashboards make ten yea
Corrections
California’s “Fair Pay” for Incarcerated Firefighters Hides Some Uncomfortable Math
California is calling it a milestone for fairness, dignity, and labor rights. When Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills last week raising pay for incarcerated firefighters, the announcement made headlines across the state and drew praise as a historic step toward justice reform.
California
Totally Uncool: There's a $10 Billion Problem with California Prisons
When California lawmakers extended indoor heat protections for workers across California last year, unfortunately, they stopped at the prison gate, leaving tens of thousands of correctional officers and thousands of their coworkers to clock in for their shifts in record-breaking heat with no guarant
Corrections
California Doubles Down on Rehabilitation
On a hot August morning, state and local leaders gathered in Fresno to cut the ribbon on California’s newest community reentry facility. The site, run in partnership with TURN Behavioral Health Services, is designed to help people finishing prison sentences adjust to life on the outside. For Jorge M
Corrections
Californians Just Voted to Get Tough on Crime. So Why Is Newsom Closing Another Prison?
Less than a year after 10 million Californians voted to lengthen prison sentences and crack down on retail theft and fentanyl dealing, Governor Gavin Newsom is shutting down yet another state prison.
Corrections
California’s Soft Sentencing Freed a Violent Offender -- Then He Walked Into a State Office and Killed a Parole Agent
On July 17, a California state parole agent became the first CDCR officer killed in the line of duty since 2018 when he was shot inside a state parole office by a man who had been released just months earlier after serving only four years for randomly stabbing a stranger in the neck.
Corrections
Texas, Football, Bobcats, Pac-12, and a Corrections Officer Who Performed a Miracle
Houston Chronicle and Hearst Newspapers Spotlight Kelly Damphousse, a Former Correctional Officer Who Transformed a University.
Corrections
Supreme Court Sides with Federal Corrections Officers in Lawsuit Over Prison Incident
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 that federal prison officers and officials cannot be sued by an inmate who accused them of excessive force during a 2021 incident, delivering a victory for federal corrections personnel concerned about rising legal exposure for doing their jobs.
Corrections
Health Care Behind Bars - How It Really Works
The health care crisis behind bars affects two distinct but deeply connected groups: incarcerated individuals and correctional officers. While incarcerated people are constitutionally entitled to care, access remains inconsistent, and most enter custody with significant medical and mental health nee
Corrections
More Than a Uniform: Remembering Annie Covarrubias and the Crisis Facing Correctional Officers
Last week, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials announced the sudden passing of Annie Covarrubias, a correctional officer at the Correctional Training Facility (CTF) in Soledad. She was 35 years old. In the words of her colleagues, Annie was a “dependable, profess