SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Governor Gavin Newsom released a new report crediting California’s reentry programs with lowering recidivism rates by 34% for men and 44% for women, part of a broader state effort to reduce crime and improve public safety.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said that community reentry programs lead to formerly incarcerated individuals being less likely to be arrested or return to prison. Compared to those who previously served full sentences in state facilities, participants in state reentry programs are more likely to successfully reintegrate into their communities.
According to 2019–20 cohort data, more than 80% of female participants and 74% of male participants released through community reentry programs did not reoffend. CDCR said the recidivism rate is 15 percentage points higher for women who do not participate and 14 percentage points higher for men.
The Governor’s Office of Newsom and Work (GGNW) claims reentry programs’ positive impact on formerly incarcerated people directly promotes public safety. CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber said a new community reentry program in Fresno “will help more individuals return home with the tools they need to thrive.”
The male-focused reentry program launched in 2015 and currently serves 700 participants. For incarcerated individuals with two or fewer years remaining on their sentence, the Division of Rehabilitative Programs (DPR) offers voluntary programming, GGNW said.
The female-focused reentry program launched in 2014 and currently serves 400 participants. After completing their sentences, women are provided with post-release rehabilitation services to assist with housing and other needs, according to CDCR.
DPR’s reentry programs allow participants to complete their sentences while receiving supervised care in a community-based facility. The programs provide education, family reunification support, access to health care, employment training, and substance use treatment.
San Quentin State Prison, long described as California’s most “notorious” prison, will be redeveloped into the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Newsom said the facility will become a rehabilitation institution that emphasizes public safety through education and treatment rather than punishment.
The programs at San Quentin will draw on techniques from Norway’s reentry system. Norway, which “has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world,” reintegrates three in four formerly incarcerated people back into their communities, GGNW said. The San Quentin Rehabilitation Center will mark one of the first large-scale U.S. transformations of a prison into a rehabilitation-focused facility.
The expected transformation of San Quentin is part of a broader statewide push to improve public safety and reduce crime. In Newsom’s 2025 budget summary, California invested $1.7 billion to combat crime and increase police hiring.
In 2023, Newsom also announced a $267 million investment to combat organized retail crime, the largest such investment in state history. “We’re ensuring law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to take down these criminals,” Newsom said.
Alongside these investments, the California Highway Patrol increased annual operations by more than 310%, according to GGNW. The expansion of CHP operations and hundreds of millions invested into retail theft enforcement are central to Newsom’s crime strategy, alongside reentry programs.
A Stanford Public Policy study reported a decrease in rearrest rates among formerly incarcerated individuals who participated in community reentry programs for at least nine months. The study concluded that participants who spent more time in reentry programs were “less likely to reoffend.”
The Alliance for Safety and Justice conducted a national survey of crime survivors’ views on prison reform. According to the survey, three out of four crime survivors “prefer” that prison sentences hold people accountable through rehabilitative programming. CDCR underscored that state and community reentry programs remain essential to rehabilitating formerly incarcerated individuals, preventing recidivism, and promoting long-term public safety.
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