Cost Per Incarcerated Person in CA Hits Record High - Cal Matters
Incarcerating one person for one year in a California State prison costs twice as much as tuition at a state university
The cost of imprisoning one person in California has increased by more than 90% in the past decade, reaching a record-breaking $132,860 annually, according to state finance documents. That’s nearly twice as expensive as the annual undergraduate tuition ($66,640) at the University of Southern California, the most costly private university in the state.
California’s spending per inmate jumped steeply during the COVID-19 pandemic and it continued to increase despite recent cost-cutting moves, including Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent move to close three state prisons.
The Legislature’s fiscal adviser says California should close five more state prisons and, by doing so, would reduce its looming budget deficit without compromising public safety. That contradicts the position of Governor Gavin Newsom, who already has closed two prisons in the state and ordered shutdowns of two others but has not supported any additional closures. Newsom’s 2024-25 budget proposal includes $291 billion in spending, nearly $20 billion less than the current year, and a projected deficit of $37.9 billion. The prison system would have a $14.1 billion budget, $493 million below this year’s budget with no further shutdowns are proposed.
With a prison population of 93,900, California has 15,000 empty prison beds and has predicted another 4,000 vacancies within four years as inmate totals continue to decline. In a report to lawmakers on the prison system’s budget, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office said Thursday that the state could save about $1 billion a year by shutting five more prisons, in addition to the closures already ordered by Newsom, starting in 2028.
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D55-Los Angeles), said Friday that he and other legislators will argue for the five additional closures while legislative leaders negotiate with Newsom on a final budget that is due in June. "We’re talking about potential teacher layoffs, frozen child care rates, lasting cuts to the social safety net. We can go down the mass incarceration road where we’ve been before, or we can do the fiscally responsible thing, save resources and invest them in the community.”
Amber-Rose Howard, executive director of Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB),which advocates reductions in prison spending, and a member organization of the Drop LWOP Coalition, said the new budget must include closure of five more prisons “and direct those savings to community-based resources to increase safety, reentry programs and supporting towns where prisons close.”
You can read the full article "As California closes prisons, the cost of locking someone up hits new record at $132,860" at Cal Matters. Cal Matters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable.
