Governor Newsom visits San Quentin as California’s public safety strategy delivers historic low crime rates and record-low recidivism 
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Oct 23, 2026

Governor Newsom visits San Quentin as California's public safety strategy delivers historic low crime rates and record-low recidivism

What you need to know: During a visit to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center for the third annual San Quentin Film Festival, Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted California's public safety strategy, which combines strong law enforcement and accountability, crime prevention, victim support, rehabilitation and pathways to successful reentry.

SAN QUENTIN – As crime rates decline and prison recidivism rates reach record lows, Governor Gavin Newsom visited the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center to meet with attendees at the third annual San Quentin Film Festival, the nation's first in-prison film festival, and highlight California's approach to public safety.

California's strategies make communities safer by combining strong law enforcement and accountability with prevention, victim services, rehabilitation and opportunities for people leaving prison to build productive lives — leading to record-low crime and recidivism rates, the lowest in recent history.

Public safety means bringing crime down, holding people accountable, supporting victims and giving people a real opportunity to change. We're focused on law enforcement, prevention and rehabilitation because safer communities require both accountability for harm and a path forward. California's strategies are making communities safer — and the data proves it — with crime rates at their lowest in modern history.

Governor Gavin Newsom

To view the b-roll from today's visit, click here.

Crime is down across California

Since Governor Newsom took office, homicide has declined 20%, robbery 31%, property crime 24%, and motor vehicle theft 19%, while violent crime has declined 3%.

California's latest statewide figures show significant declines in crime from 2024 to 2025:
  • Homicide fell 18.6% – reaching the lowest level since 1966
  • Robbery fell 19.9%
  • Violent crime fell 10.2%
  • Property crime fell 14.3%
  • Motor vehicle theft fell 25.8%

Earlier this week, the Governor also established an interagency effort focused on community safety, violence prevention and intervention, and victim support. The effort is designed to assess programs, improve coordination and data-sharing, evaluate outcomes and develop a blueprint to help sustain progress.

California is expanding opportunities for incarcerated people to build skills, pursue education and prepare for employment and successful reentry, while emphasizing personal responsibility and rehabilitation.

The state's recidivism reporting highlights the importance of rehabilitation and education. Among people released after earning Rehabilitation Achievement Credits, 81.5% remained conviction-free for three years; the figure was 76.7% for those earning Educational Merit Credits and 66.7% for those participating in general rehabilitative programming. Of those released after a parole hearing, 97.5% do not reoffend.

At California State Prison Corcoran staff have helped transform a formerly deactivated facility into an Honor Dorm, a voluntary community for approximately 100 incarcerated people selected based on classification, behavior and readiness. The initiative emphasizes accountability, education, vocational training, rehabilitative programming and preparation for employment.

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California has expanded higher-education access throughout its correctional system: all 30 state institutions offer community college distance or correspondence courses, and bachelor's degree programs are available at 12 institutions. At San Quentin, 34 students have begun a Cal State LA bachelor's degree program in Liberal Studies. The 21-month program, launched in August, operates through the prison's new Learning Center.

So far, incarcerated students have earned 9,966 associate degrees, 451 bachelor's degrees and 48 master's degrees. Associate and bachelor's degree programs are offered free of charge. Research cited by the Public Policy Institute of California found that people who participated in college programs were 31% more likely to have jobs after release.

Prevention, victim services and stronger communities

California's public safety strategy extends beyond law enforcement to address violence before it occurs and ensure victims and survivors receive support.

Since 2019, the state has directed $546.8 million toward public safety efforts, including the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) grant program and victim services.

Community-based violence prevention can deliver measurable results. Research on Richmond's Peacemaker Fellowship found the program was associated with a 61% reduction in fatal and nonfatal firearm assaults from 2010 to 2024.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services helps victims and survivors access services, receive notifications, exercise their rights and participate in the justice process. The state has also announced six $50,000 rewards – $300,000 total—for information leading to arrests and convictions in four unsolved California murders.

Pathways to rehabilitation, care and good-paying jobs

Legislation signed by the Governor, including AB 113, supports targeted strategies for rehabilitation, workforce training, supportive housing and trauma-informed care.

Key efforts include:
  • $4 million for trauma-informed care in women's prisons. The funding supports two outside contracts to provide care and train staff in best practices for working with people affected by trauma.
  • $2.15 million for rehabilitation and opportunity. This includes $850,000 in Amador County for firefighter housing and training, including support for families visiting loved ones at Pine Grove or Growlersberg fire camps, and $1.3 million for vocational training workspace with recording, television and film production capabilities and tools for creating social media content.
  • $760,000 for housing and support services for formerly incarcerated people training for entertainment-industry union careers. The staffed Los Angeles facility will provide wraparound services and training designed to lead to union jobs through the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

These strategies complement California's broader $2.1 billion public safety effort and its ongoing work to reduce crime, strengthen communities and support successful reentry.

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Accountability, rehabilitation and hope

California's approach recognizes that accountability and rehabilitation are complementary parts of public safety. Through prison and parole reforms, the state has expanded opportunities for people to demonstrate growth, prepare for reentry and earn consideration for release through established public-safety processes.

The Governor's clemency actions reflect on that principle. Pardons can recognize rehabilitation and help remove barriers to employment and civic participation. Commutations can make a person eligible for an earlier parole hearing; they do not guarantee release. The parole process independently evaluates public safety and considers input from victims and survivors and district attorneys.

California's strategy puts victims first—supporting their rights, safety, participation and access to services while also pursuing accountability for harm and delivering rehabilitative programming to those who need it.

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