From 2021 through 2024, the state of California ran a pilot program that aimed to correct excessive sentences from '90s-era “tough on crime” policies. The program ultimately freed 174 people and resulted in 227 resentencings from the over 1,100 cases reviewed.

Operating in nine counties, including Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Santa Clara, California’s County Resentencing Pilot Program reviewed over 1,100 cases, which led to 227 resentencings and 174 releases, as reported by KQED. With nearly $13 million in funding from the state, along with funds from individual counties, the program aimed to correct excessive prison sentences by allowing district attorneys to review and recommend resentencing.

Each county set its own criteria, focusing on those who had served long sentences and demonstrated rehabilitation, and participants in the pilot were required to designate a county district attorney (DA) office and a county public defender (PD) office, along with the option of a community-based organization.

The RAND Corporation, a California-based nonprofit selected by the state legislature to independently evaluate the program, praised the pilot's successes but suggested clearer roles for prosecutors and defenders, better timelines, and also recommended a dedicated court to streamline future cases.

This effort is part of a larger push to undo the damage of past “tough on crime” policies, like Bill Clinton's 1994 Crime Bill, which filled prisons without significantly reducing crime. California’s prison population hit its peak in 2006, largely due to mandatory sentencing laws.

AB 2942, passed in 2018, shifted the focus toward rehabilitation and restorative justice, giving prosecutors the power to request resentencing in older cases. The state also has a financial incentive—keeping someone in prison costs about $133,000 a year, adding pressure to rethink mass incarceration.

Some counties, including Santa Clara, plan to keep reviewing cases even after the pilot ends.

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