California: NEW REPORT: Community reentry program participants are significantly less likely to reoffend
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Aug 20, 2025

NEW REPORT: Community reentry program participants are significantly less likely to reoffend

What you need to know:
According to a new report, incarcerated men who participate in the state's community reentry programs are 34% less likely to reoffend than those who did not participate; women are 44% less likely to reoffend.

Sacramento, California – Highlighting the ongoing work in the state to improve public safety by providing opportunities for successful reentry, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new report that highlights the success of the state's community reentry program participants.

When compared to the overall recidivism rate for this population of individuals exiting incarceration from state facilities, participants in community reentry programs are significantly less likely to be arrested, convicted, or return to prison, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). This shows the profound impact reentry programs have on promoting public safety through successful reintegration of those formerly incarcerated individuals.

We believe in second chances and rehabilitation, not in spite of their effect on public safety, but because of their effect on public safety – the data clearly demonstrates that smart reentry programs are  integral components of public safety. Our communities are safer when incarcerated individuals have the opportunities to transition back into the community and become productive members of our society.

Governor Gavin Newsom

When evaluating the most recent cohort data, from 2019-20, more than 80% of women and 74% of men who participated in CDCR's community reentry programs – also known as enhanced alternative custody programs – did not recidivate after release. This rate is nearly 15 percentage points higher for women (67%) and nearly 14 percentage points higher for men (59.7%) who did not participate.

Just yesterday, CDCR opened a new community reentry program in Fresno, the thirteenth in the state.

"Expanding community reentry opportunities is central to CDCR's mission of public safety and rehabilitation," said CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber. "This new Fresno facility will help more individuals return home with the tools they need to thrive."

These community reentry programs, which include the Female Community Reentry Program and Male Community Reentry Program, provide voluntary, evidence-based programming for eligible individuals with two years or less remaining on their prison sentence. Participants complete the remainder of their sentence with specialized supervision in a secure, community-based facility where they have access to substance use disorder treatment, employment readiness and vocational training, educational opportunities, connections to health care services and family reunification support.

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A 2021 Stanford Public Policy study found that community reentry program participants are less likely to reoffend the longer they are in the program. Those who participate for at least nine months see their likelihood of re-arrest decrease by 13%.

The male-focused reentry program launched in 2015 and operates seven locations with approximately 700 current participants. The female-focused reentry program launched in 2014 and operates in six locations with approximately 400 current participants.

Transforming the criminal justice system

Research shows that every $1 spent on rehabilitation saves more than $4 on the costs of re-incarceration. Nationally, people who participate in correctional education programs are 43% less likely to return to prison. And by a margin of nearly 3 to 1, crime survivor groups say victims prefer sentences that hold people accountable and include programming that prevents recidivism, including vocational training, substance use treatment, and other targeted rehabilitation.

Governor Newsom is transforming California's oldest and most notorious prison into "San Quentin Rehabilitation Center" — a one-of-a-kind correctional institution focused on improving public safety through education and rehabilitation. A transformation at this scale has never been pursued in the U.S. before. What the state is helping to build at San Quentin will incorporate programs and best practices from countries like Norway, which has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world — where approximately 3 in 4 formerly incarcerated people safely and successfully return to their communities.

Investing in public safety

California has invested $1.7 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety. In 2023, as part of California's Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.

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