Earlier in June, criminal justice experts, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders met at the Stanford Law School for the second meeting of The Stanford Executive Sessions on Sentencing and Corrections. They have just issued a report, “California Corrections Reform: State/Local Partnerships,” which initially focuses on AB 900, the prison construction bill and bond package that passed earlier this year to deal with prison overcrowding. Citing a rather marked tension between the state and counties in particular, this report primarily centers on the interplay between the state and other levels of government from both a fiscal and an administrative point of view.
The second Executive Sessions meeting opened up channels of communication among a broad range of state and local stakeholders and identifying some broad themes and specific recommendations for further exploration. The meeting and report are designed to be helpful in developing the next steps for California sentencing and corrections policy.
As we see the effects of correctional spending on the state and local budgets, this 20 page document is very timely. There is also an executive summary that layout of a good overview of the report, but many fascinating details are in the body of the report.
