LAO Report Exposes “Indefensible Waste” in Prison Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact: Olivia Gleason | olivia@curbprisonspending.org | 562.881.2625

SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB) responded to the newly released Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) report on the 2026-27 Corrections Budget. While the LAO formally recommends the closure of one additional prison, CURB is urging the Newsom administration to go significantly further, demanding a commitment to closing at least five additional prisons before the Governor leaves office.

“California is currently sitting on nearly 14,000 empty beds—enough capacity to announce five or six full prison closures this budget cycle,” said Amber-Rose Howard, Executive Director of CURB. “The LAO report confirms the underlying reality we have been highlighting: keeping thousands of empty beds on the books is an indefensible waste of resources. We strongly agree with the LAO’s specific recommendation to close a prison this year. However, a one-prison-at-a-time approach does not reflect the scale of the state’s ongoing fiscal and incarceration crisis.”

• The LAO report highlights several critical findings that verify the urgent need for further prison closures:
  CTF in Soledad as a Prime Closure Candidate: The LAO identifies the Correctional Training Facility (CTF) in Soledad as a strong candidate for closure, citing $379 million in needed repairs for its kitchen and fire alarm systems alone. The report formally recommends the Legislature reject new infrastructure spending at this facility.
• Verified Fiscal Savings: The LAO confirms that closing an average-sized prison would save the state approximately $150 million annually in operational costs and avoid the need for expensive infrastructure projects at the closed site.
• Sustained Population Decline: The LAO confirms the prison population is projected to continue declining through June 2030. The report notes the state could close an additional prison and still retain a 2,500-bed buffer to manage unexpected population increases.
• System-Wide Maintenance Liability: The LAO reports that CDCR has identified $2.5 billion in deferred maintenance projects across the system over the next ten years, not including the billions potentially needed for air cooling systems.
• Lack of Transparency: The LAO criticized CDCR for a lack of transparency regarding current yard deactivations at Solano and Avenal State Prisons, noting the administration has declined to provide information about these operational changes to the Legislature.

CURB also emphasizes the humanitarian and fiscal cost of continuing to use prisons as “high-priced nursing homes.” With over 19,000 people aged 55 and older currently behind bars, the state spends over $237,000 per year to incarcerate elders aged 80 and older with little risk of recidivism if released.

Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB) is a statewide coalition of over 100 organizations working to reduce the number of people in prisons and jails, shrink the corrections budget, and redirect public dollars toward housing, healthcare, education, and community-based safety strategies.

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