Overview

The United States incarcerates more of its citizens than any other nation, with a jail and prison population that increased from 200,000 to a staggering 2.3 million in the past 40 years. We disproportionately incarcerate people of color, devastating poor and minority communities. As a country and in the state of California, we are beginning to understand that long, harsh sentences do not lead to public health and safety, and we are moving towards policies that allow more people to pursue rehabilitation in the community. Since 2009, the state of California has sent more than 25,000 people in prison back to their communities.