How Did a New Policy Reform to Limit Probation Sentences Affect Recidivism Outcomes in California?

• In Event: Organizational Change and Policy Reform in Community Corrections

Abstract

Probation terms vary widely across the United States. In recent years, average term length has increased in some states, while declining in others. In January 2021, California implemented AB1950, which limited felony probation terms to two years and misdemeanor terms to one year. This policy change presents the opportunity to leverage a natural policy experiment to evaluate the effects of probation terms on criminal justice outcomes. In this study, we compare the outcomes of pre-post AB 1950 cohorts to examine the effects of reducing probation terms on recidivism outcomes. We also examine how this policy change affected probation population size, officer caseloads, and case management practices. Finally, we look for any shift in the criminal legal system away from probation sentences and toward jail or prison sentences that indicates an unintended response to these new limits on probation terms.

Authors

• Mia Bird, University of California, Berkeley

• Viet Nguyen, Center for Justice Innovation