The independent Legislative Analyst Office says California could meet its court-ordered inmate population cap and save more than a billion dollars during the next seven years. However, the LAO cautions that the state officials’ recently released plan is more costly than necessary.
The LAO says the Legislature should consider much of the plan. However, the plan assumes the federal court will approve their request to increase the inmate population cap from 137.5 to 145 percent of design capacity. Prison officials should have a backup plan in case the court does not approve this request, according to the LAO.
The LAO offered six alternative plans — three if the federal court approves raising the population cap, and three if they do not — that could save between $54 to $159 million more than the state’s plan. The alternative plans involve reducing or eliminating out-of-state contract beds, rejecting the renovation of the DeWitt Nelson Youth Correctional Facility to house adult offenders, cancelling the $810 million in new lease revenue bond authority to construct additional low-security housing at three existing prisons, and closing the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco.
The LAO report concludes: “While the administration’s blueprint merits careful consideration by the Legislature, we find that there are alternative packages that are available to the Legislature. Each alternative, including the CDCR blueprint, comes with significant trade-offs to consider. However, we find that the state could meet specified population cap targets at much lower ongoing General Fund costs in the future than proposed by the administration, potentially saving the state over a billion dollars over the next seven years.”
