Recent iir_cpl_briefs items

California Nickel Prior Enhancement and Recent Reforms: A Snapshot

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Sentence enhancements are widely used in California and can greatly increase an individual’s prison sentence, which in turn increases the size of the state’s prison population at a given time as people are incarcerated for longer periods.1 Proposition 8, passed by voters in 1982, provided the first major addition to sentence enhancements in California since the passage of the Determinate Sentencing Act of 1976 (Figure 1). This law created what is colloquially known as the “nickel prior.” As originally written, if a person had previously been convicted of a serious felony offense, the enhancement added an additional five years onto any sentence for a new serious offense,2 regardless of when the earlier conviction had occurred.3 This fact sheet highlights patterns in the use of nickel prior enhancements for people admitted to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) before and after Senate Bill 1393 (SB 1393) took effect in 2019.4 As of August 2023,...

766 San Francisco Residents may be Eligible for Referral to CARE Court

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In 2022, California passed the CARE Court Law. Eight of California's 58 counties, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, are working to implement the law in 2023, with the remaining counties following in subsequent years. This brief estimates how many people in San Francisco may be eligible for referral to the CARE Court, based on an analysis of people who are already receiving urgent and emergent care services. This brief uses data from San Francisco’s Coordinated Case Management System (CCMS) linked to data from the San Francisco Sherif's Office and San Francisco District Attorney's Office.

This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278

https://www.capolicylab.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Solid-Ground-Year-3-Process-Evaluation.pdf

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Solid Ground homelessness prevention pilot was started in 2018, with a goal of serving families in Van Nuys, California (zip code 91405) who may be at risk of homelessness but who do not qualify for the homelessness prevention services provided by the Los Angeles County homelessness services sector.1 The pilot is administered by New Economics for Women (NEW), a nonprofit that administers a FamilySource Center. FamilySource Centers are located in high-need areas and are designed to assist low to moderate-income families with a continuum of services, including financial counseling and referrals to community resources. While Solid Ground was originally conceived as a twoyear pilot, it was extended and NEW continues to operate it. The Solid Ground Program, which was previously administered by the Housing Department, now falls under the purview of The Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD) and since 2021, they have created seven additional Solid Ground homelessness...

Providing Early Legal Counsel Reduces Jail Time and Improves Case Outcomes

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

When someone is arrested and cannot afford bail or a private lawyer, they stay in jail and have to wait several days before they are assigned a public defender at arraignment. This time in jail imposes legal, social, and economic costs, from a higher chance of conviction to loss of employment or wages. Low-income individuals bear the brunt of these costs because many cannot afford to post bail to secure their own release, nor can they afford to hire a lawyer to negotiate their release. The County of Santa Clara Public Defender’s Office designed a program to address these problems by providing legal counsel to low-income people shortly after their arrest. In early 2020 they piloted the Pre-Arraignment Representation and Review (PARR) program using a rotating schedule that offered PARR services one day per week. This quasirandom implementation enabled the research team to estimate the impact receiving PARR services had on release and case outcomes. Participation in the program...

Do Time-Limited Subsidy Programs Reduce Homelessness for Single Adults?

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Over half a million people experience homelessness in the United States each year. The policy response has been to provide short-term solutions, like shelters, as well as long-term housing solutions, such as housing subsidies or permanent supportive housing. This policy brief and related working paper focus on time-limited subsidy (TLS) programs, often referred to as Rapid Re-housing (RRH). TLS programs help individuals move into market rentals and financially support their tenancy, with typical two-year time limits. Our study estimates the impact of TLS over a four-year period for 3,677 adults who were enrolled in TLS in Los Angeles County. Sixty-two percent of TLS participants received the intended financial assistance to move into a rental unit. Our study sample includes all enrollees in the program, not just people who moved in and received the subsidy, which is necessary for the research design and relevant for understanding the effects for all who were enrolled.

Racial and Gender Disparities in Police Stops: What Does the 2021 Racial Identity and Profiling Act Data Tell Us?

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This policy brief highlights patterns in racial/ethnic and gender disparities in police stop rates, actions taken during stops, and stop outcomes in California, as reported in the Racial Identity and Profiling Act (RIPA) data for calendar year 2021, which includes data on nearly 3.2 million stops. Many of the patterns reported here have been documented and explored in detail in prior annual reports published by the RIPA Board as well as in an independent analysis of the data from a prior year.

This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278

Felony Offenses and Sentencing Triads in California

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

California’s felony sentencing structure has become increasingly complex over the last forty years. Despite this complexity, this analysis also shows that changing just one section of the Penal Code — a default sentence that has not been adjusted since 1976 — would affect the sentence length of 71% of felony offenses in current law.

This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278

Solid Ground Executive Summary: A Summary of Multi-Year Process Evaluations of Solid Ground, a Family Homelessness Prevention Program

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Solid Ground homelessness prevention pilot was started in 2018, with a goal of serving families in Van Nuys, California (zip code 91405) who may be at risk of homelessness but who do not qualify for the homelessness prevention services provided by the Los Angeles County homelessness services sector.1 The pilot is administered by New Economics for Women (NEW), a nonprofit that administers a FamilySource Center. FamilySource Centers are located in high-need areas and are designed to assist low to moderate-income families with a continuum of services, including financial counseling and referrals to community resources. While Solid Ground was originally conceived as a two-year pilot, it was extended and NEW continues to operate it. The Solid Ground program was previously administered by the Housing Department and now falls under the purview of the Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD). Since 2021, CIFD has created seven additional Solid Ground homelessness prevention...

Startling Increase in California Auto Loans

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

During the past ten years, there has been a dramatic rise in the size and length of new auto loans, especially since the start of the pandemic. The average new auto loan (for a new or used car) in California is now over $34,000, and is a full $7,300 more than it was just 3 years ago. Loan lengths and monthly payments have also risen considerably over that period. The share of car loans that are 30+ days delinquent is also starting to tick upwards, from 1.5% in mid-2021 to 2.7% by the end of 2022.1 This publication uses nominal dollars, but the California Credit Dashboard includes an option to adjust for inflation.

This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278

Introducing the California Credit Dashboard

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

California is the fifth largest economy in the world, and one of every eight US loans is originated by a consumer in California. What happens in California affects the world. The California Credit Dashboard provides detailed information about household finances and debt, information that has not historically been available to the public at the state-level. The Dashboard, which we aim to update quarterly, will help measure the financial health of California households. What type of debt do Californians have? What is the current pace of originations? How many people are struggling to make payments? Are credit scores up or down? We also break out data by loan types, regions, and age groups, and hope to add more breakouts and functionality over time (tell us what you want to see!). Our data come from the University of California Consumer Credit Panel, a dataset of credit-bureau data provided by Experian, one of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. A technical appendix...

Sentence Enhancements in California

Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Sentence enhancements are used to add time to an individual’s base sentence. California uses over 100 unique enhancements. This report analyzes data from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to understand the role of sentence enhancements in California’s corrections system. It fnds that enhancements lengthen average sentences and are more likely to impact the sentences of men and Black and American Indian people who are sentenced to prison, application varies by county, and that enhancements contribute to the overall size of the state prison population.

This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278

How Hospital Discharge Data Can Inform State Homelessness Policy

Thu, 1 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

California emergency departments (EDs) treated about 143,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2019, according to hospital discharge records. Almost half of homeless patients visited the ED four or more times in the year.

Medi-Cal covered 70 percent of ED visits by homeless patients, underscoring the importance of the CalAIM program, which provides added Medi-Cal benefits, such as housing supports and case management.

Linking discharge data with homeless assistance program data can offer insights into how people engage with EDs and homeless services across the state, and throughout the year, as well as help evaluate programs and public investments.

This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278

Identifying the impacts of job training programs in California

Thu, 1 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Every year, over a million Californians receive workforce support and training from state and federally funded programs. In an efort to learn more about the impact of these programs and to improve them, an inter-agency partnership led by the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) created Cross-System Analytics and Assessment for Learning and Skills Attainment (CAAL-Skills). The CAALSkills partnership facilitates data-sharing across seven California state agencies that deliver thirteen workforce programs. Bringing this data together signifcantly improves the state’s ability to observe who is enrolled in these programs and makes it possible, for the frst time, to measure the impacts these programs have on participants’ employment and earnings.

This policy brief highlights fndings from the frst causal study to estimate the impacts of ten training programs that report to CAAL-Skills, performed by the California Policy Lab at the University of California. The causal...

Racial Disparities in Criminal Record Eligibility in California

Thu, 1 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In this study, we assessed equity in criminal record relief eligibility in California, one of the first states to pass automatic record relief legislation. Our analysis included three components. First, using criminal history data from the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ), we assessed the share of people with criminal records who are eligible for automatic relief under current laws, and how this eligibility varied across racial and ethnic groups. Second, we evaluated two hypothetical reforms in how eligibility is determined that might alter equity across racial and ethnic groups: (a) relief for discretionary cases, and (b) a sunset rule that would automatically grant relief for convictions more than 7 years old. Finally, we estimated how each of these hypothetical reforms would alter population-level disparities in conviction records statewide.

This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives...

Reminder postcards and simpler emails encouraged more college students to apply for CalFresh

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

CalFresh benefits can help college students make ends meet while attending college, but not all eligible students apply. One contributing factor may be that students are not aware they are eligible. Therefore, outreach efforts informing them of their eligibility could help increase take-up rates. To test this, we designed and conducted two experiments that leveraged an expansion in CalFresh eligibility for students that went into effect in early 2021. In response to the pandemic, Congress permitted a temporary expansion to college student eligibility for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), or CalFresh as it is known in California. The expansion went into effect in January 2021 and will last through the end of the federal public health emergency. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) partnered with The People Lab (TPL) and the California Policy Lab (CPL) on two randomized experiments to evaluate whether...

Emailing eligible college students resulted in more than 7,000 students applying for CalFresh benefits

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Pandemic Patterns: California is Seeing Fewer Entrances and More Exits

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, fewer people have been moving into California from other states and more have been leaving. At the end of September 2021, entrances to California were 8% lower than at the end of March 2020.1 Exits, following a dip in the first half of 2020, stood 12% higher at the end of September 2021 than at the end of March 2020 — representing a return to a steady pre-pandemic rate of increase of approximately 4% per year since 2016. Net domestic migration, defined as the difference between entrances and exits, went from 40,000 net exits per quarter prior to the pandemic to 80,000 afterward. This brief uses data through the end of September 2021. These trends are present throughout the state. Since the end of March 2020, new entrances to the state have dropped in 40 of 58 California counties, and when Californians move, they are slightly more likely to leave the state than they were before the pandemic began (true for nearly every county). But the Bay...

Serious Mental Illness among People who are Unsheltered in Los Angeles

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In Los Angeles, 45,021 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness received street outreach services between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020. Supporting and housing unsheltered residents is an urgent priority in Los Angeles, and it is imperative to better understand the challenges that individuals are facing. Questions persist about the size and unique needs of the group of individuals who are unsheltered and diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI). This is because unsheltered individuals experiencing serious mental illness, and particularly those individuals with a diagnosis of a psychotic spectrum disorder (“PSD”), may experience symptoms that could cause or contribute to losing housing and that could lengthen the duration of homelessness. This group often needs intensive, specialized, and coordinated care in order to exit homelessness. To better understand the prevalence of psychotic spectrum disorders (“PSD”) among those who are unsheltered, the California Policy...

The Impacts of the Make-it-Right Program on Recidivism

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Make-it-Right (MIR) restorative justice conferencing program serves youth ages 13 to 17 who would have otherwise faced relatively serious felony charges (e.g., burglary, assault, unlawful taking of a vehicle). Following extensive preparation, participating youth meet with the people they have harmed or a surrogate, accept responsibility for the impact of their actions, and come to an agreement for how the youth can repair to the greatest extent possible the harm they caused. If the youth follow through with the repair actions outlined in the agreement, charges against them are never filed. If they do not, they face traditional juvenile felony prosecution. In this study, eligible youth were randomly assigned to participate in MIR or to a control group in which they faced felony prosecution. We find that youth given the opportunity to participate in MIR had a 19-percentage-point lower likelihood of a rearrest within six months, a 44 percent reduction relative to the control...

California Community College and University of California student participation in CalFresh food benefits

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Food insecurity is widespread among college students in the United States. CalFresh food benefits, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, can help students in California pay for food, but may not reach all eligible students. CalFresh enrollment rates among students have been difficult to estimate due to incomplete data on California students’ eligibility for and enrollment in the CalFresh program.1 To overcome these issues, the California Policy Lab (CPL) partnered with the California Community College system (CCC), the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) to build a linked database of student-level administrative data on college enrollment, financial aid, and CalFresh participation.

This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774...

Who benefits from the student loan payment pause and what will happen when it ends?

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government stopped requiring payment on most federal student loans. This “payment pause” was originally set to expire in September 2020, but after several extensions it is set to expire May 1, 2022. Using anonymized credit records, we describe who was affected by the payment pause, how it impacted their finances, and what might happen when the payment pause ends. The payment pause affected the vast majority of student loan borrowers, and their average overall debt obligations fell by $210 (equivalent to one-third of their installment loan payments). The payment pause improved credit standing among affected borrowers. Delinquency rates dropped from 7% to 0%, and credit scores increased by an average of nearly 30 points, concentrated especially among borrowers with lower starting credit scores. We predict that three in ten borrowers — or nearly 8 million people — are at high risk of missing payments when the payment pause ends....

Addressing the barriers college students face when accessing CalFresh food benefits

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Many California college students face food and housing insecurity.1 CalFresh food benefits, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, can help students pay for food, but most students eligible for this support are not receiving it. To address the gap between eligibility and participation, the California Policy Lab (CPL) is building a new data system — in partnership with higher education and safety-net agencies in California — to examine the extent to which college students use safety-net benefits to help meet their basic needs, to estimate how benefit receipt affects educational outcomes, and to evaluate strategies designed to increase participation. As part of this portfolio of work, and to better understand the factors that may limit student participation in CalFresh, CPL collaborated with Jesus Chavarin-Rivas, a graduate student at UC Berkeley, to conduct 29 interviews with a selection of students, basic needs specialists, and local and...

Eliminating fees in the Alameda County juvenile justice system meaningfully reduced financial burdens on families