New California report on women and parole

This weekend I received a copy of “Breaking the Barriers for Women on Parole,” a report recently produced by California’s Little Hoover Commission, a governmental watchdog agency.  This sizeable report — which runs over 100 pages but has an effective executive summary (and can be downloaded here) — addresses not only parole issues, but also California’s entire correctional structure while urging using female offenders as pioneers for system-wide reforms.   

This fact sheet from the Commission details the growth in California’s female prison population over the last two decades, as well as interesting statistics about male and female offenders.  And this press release provides both background and context for the report.  Here are some highlights from the press release:

The State could save money, improve public safety and break the cycle of crime if it reformed the way it incarcerates women offenders and supervises them on parole, the Little Hoover Commission concluded Wednesday….

Most female felons were victims before they were offenders, most are single parents, and most were convicted of non-violent, drug or property crimes. The Commission urged the State to develop a new strategy for women offenders that relies less on large and remote prisons designed to incapacitate violent offenders and more on community correctional facilities that can better reconnect paroling women to jobs, housing, emotional supports and their families….

In this report, the Commission challenged the State to be smart on crime — not just tough on crime — and to start with women offenders.  “Fixing the system for women parolees also can be a good test of the correctional system’s desire and capacity to improve.  Lessons learned improving outcomes for women can inspire and guide the management of the critically necessary larger reforms,” Commission Chairman Michael E. Alpert said.