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Comparing California 's Investments in Prisons and Education

Ever wonder how California 's investments in prisons compare with investments in education? So did we and here is what we have found out so far, using figures from Oakland and Alameda County.

PRISONS AND JAILS

Oakland Parolee Population:

• CDC¹ 6/16/04 2315
• CYA 6/28/04 253²

First Year Cost of Parole Revocation Due to Technical Violation³

• CDC: $14,227 (includes costs of misdemeanor arrest, detainment in county/city jail, hearing, average prison sentence)
• CYA: $59,813 (includes costs of misdemeanor arrest, detainment in county/city jail, hearing, average prison sentence)

Rate at Which Parolees are Returned to Custody for Technical Violations

• CDC: 61% of those released in 2002⁴
• CYA: 15% of those released on parole statewide⁵

Yearly Supervision/Incarceration Costs per Inmate

• CDC State Prison: $30,929⁶
• CDC Parole: $3,364⁷
• CYA cost to house a ward (institutions/camps): $60,000⁸
• Alameda County Jail: $27,167⁹

EDUCATION

Per Pupil Spending in Oakland Public Schools

• 2002-2003 General Fund Expenditures per pupil: $6,961¹⁰

Yearly Tuition costs per student:

• Stanford University (incl. room and board, books, fees): $40,591¹¹
• UC Berkeley in-state (incl. fees): $6,730¹²
• SF State in-state (incl. fees): $5,760¹³

1. Estimates and Statistical Analysis Section State of California, Offender Information Services Branch. Parole Counts for Parole Statuses (Parolee, PAL, PRTC, PENDREV, SATCU) by Parole Region and Parole Units.
   NOTE: these numbers likely under-report the number of Oakland residents on parole, because we have been told that sometimes Oakland residents will report to parole offices in surrounding cities, like Berkeley for example.
2. California Youth Authority Research Division. NOTE: This number represents all CYA parolees reporting to the Oakland Parole Office at that time. Some of these parolees are not Oakland residents, but report there because it is the closest office.
3. Beideman, Sandra. “The Costs and Benefits of a Prisoner Reentry Program in Oakland.” Advanced Policy Analysis paper prepared as part of coursework at Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, 2004.
4. California Department of Corrections. “Historical Trends: California Department of Corrections 1982-2002.”
5. California Youth Authority Research Division.
6. FY 2003-2004 budget figures from CDC website
7. FY 2003-2004 budget figures from CDC website
8. February 2004 figures from CYA website
9. FY 2001-2002 budget figures from Board of Corrections website
10. Oakland Unified School District Financial Statement
11. http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/html/finaid/index.html
12. http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Registration/feesched.html
13. http://www.sfsu.edu/prospect/fees.htm

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