OVERVIEW REPORT: The Role of Second Look Policies in Reforming California’s Approach to Incarceration 
PRESS RELEASE: New Research on People Released from Prison Under California’s Second Look Resentencing Policies
Over the past 13 years, California has implemented numerous criminal justice reforms aimed at reducing prison sentences, limiting the use of sentencing enhancements, and shrinking the state’s prison population.
The Role of Second Look Policies in Reforming California’s Approach to Incarceration
SEPTEMBER 2025
California’s resentencing policies are wide-ranging, affecting individuals serving sentences for both low-level, non-violent offenses and violent felony convictions with lengthy terms. To date, approximately 11,900 people have been resentenced
under these laws.
This research provides the first in-depth look at who is affected by these reforms and their recidivism rates. In this report and a series of accompanying policy briefs, we examine five of the most prominent resentencing policies enacted between
2012 and 2022. We present the number of people released from California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) custody under each reform, their demographic and case characteristics, and their recidivism rates. For context, we also provide summary statistics and recidivism rates for all individuals released from CDCR custody in fiscal year 2018–19.
OIG Report AUD № 24–02, Management of Temperature Conditions in Prisons
SEPTEMBER 2025
California Penal Code section 6126(b) authorizes the Office of the Inspector General (the OIG) to conduct audits of the CDCr’s (the department) policies, practices, and procedures. We initiated this audit to review and evaluate the control measures the department has in place to detect and
respond to excessive interior temperatures in its prisons’ housing units.
The Second Look Movement: An Assessment of the Nation’s Sentence Review Laws
AUGUST 2025
Twenty-five states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government have enacted “second look” judicial sentence review policies to allow judges to review sentences after a person has served a lengthy period of time.
A Matter of Life: The Scope and Impact of Life and Long Term Imprisonment in the United States
JANUARY 2025
This comprehensive 50-state report examines the prevalence and implications of life sentences across the country, highlighting the disproportionate impact of such extreme sentences on people of color and the inefficacy of punitive measures in improving community safety
Report of Significant Events
2024
Based on the 2024 Board of Parole Hearings Report of Significant Events, read some of the most notable statistics.
Life Without Parole and Felony Murder Sentencing in California Report
JULY 2023
A report of the Special Circumstances Conviction Project. In collaboration with the Felony Murder Elimination Project and the UCLA Center for the Study of Women|Streisand Center
“I JUST WANT TO GIVE BACK”
JUNE 2023
The Reintegration of People Sentenced to Life Without Parole. A report from Human Rights Watch which focuses on the historic release of 143 individuals from California prisons and examines the positive contributions they have made with their second chances.