HOME | What's New! | Contact Us | Site Map | Sign In
Library
Statistics for the State of California

Select a State:

Overview of California's Correctional System California

The Jail System

There are 135 jail facilities in the state's 58 counties with a rated capacity of 84,269 beds. The Board of Corrections establishes jail standards and conducts inspections, but does not have enforecment authority.

The Prison System

The Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation manages 33 prisons, 37 camps, and 12 community facilities with a staff of 52,982 in institutions, 2,566 in parole, and 6,173 in administration. The inmate count was 174,282 in 2007, and the agency's budget in 2007-2008 was $9.7 billion. (Average agency cost per inmate in 2008 = $35,587)

The Community Corrections System

58 county probation agencies supervise 353,969 adult probationers. Funding comes primarily from county governments and offender fees. The Parole and Community Services Division of the Dept. of Corrections supervises 123,764 parolees.
2007 Crime Rate for California
The crime rate in California is about 5% lower than the national average rate. Property crimes account for around 85.3% of the crime rate in California which is 7% lower than the national rate. The remaining 14% are violent crimes and are about 11% higher than other states. The following graph shows how California compared to the rest of the states.

State Crime Rates (Per 100,000 People)

(Place your mouse over a bar for details, or click on a bar to view that state's profile.)
California National Avg.
Crime Rates (2007) 3,556 3,731
Violent Crimes 523 467
Property Crimes 3,033 3,264
2004 Corrections Population
California has 755,256 adults under correctional supervision (prisons, jails, probation, and parole). The supervision rate (number of offenders per 100,000 people) is about 8% higher than the national rate.

State Population Rates (Per 100,000 People)

(Place your mouse over a bar for details, or click on a bar to view that state's profile.)
California National Avg.
Population Rate (2004) 2,791 2,572
2007 Incarceration Information
California has a rate 5% higher than than the national average of incarcerated adults per 100,000.

Incarceration Rate (Per 100,000)

(Place your mouse over a bar for details, or click on a bar to view that state's profile.)
California National Avg.
Incarceration Rate (2007) 471 447
2007 Probationers
California has a rate 30% lower than than the national average number of probationers per 100,000 people.

Probationers (Per 100,000)

(Place your mouse over a bar for details, or click on a bar to view that state's profile.)
California National Avg.
Probationer Rate (2007) 1,295 1,863
2007 Parolees
California has a rate 30% higher than than the national average number of parolees per 100,000 people.

Parolees (Per 100,000)

(Place your mouse over a bar for details, or click on a bar to view that state's profile.)
California National Avg.
Parolee Rate (2007) 453 319
2008 Corrections Percentage of Total State Government Expenditures
Taxpayers paid 28% higher than than the national average in 2008.

Percentage Spent on Corrections

(Place your mouse over a bar for details, or click on a bar to view that state's profile.)
California National Avg.
% Spent on Corrections (2008) 9.3% 6.7%

Data Sources:

  • The PEW Center on the States
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Dept. of Justice
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice
  • American Jail Assoc.
  • American Correctional Assoc.
  • State Government Websites
  • State-provided information
Alabama Florida Kansas Minnesota New Jersey Oregon Utah
Alaska Georgia Kentucky Mississippi New Mexico Pennsylvania Vermont
Arizona Hawaii Louisiana Missouri New York Rhode Island Virginia
Arkansas Idaho Maine Montana North Carolina South Carolina Washington
California Illinois Maryland Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota West Virginia
Colorado Indiana Massachusetts Nevada Ohio Tennessee Wisconsin
Connecticut Iowa Michigan New Hampshire Oklahoma Texas Wyoming
Delaware
:: USA.gov > U.S. Dept. of Justice > Bureau of Prisons > National Institute of Corrections > .:: Privacy & Disclaimers :: Accessibility ::.