“Older incarcerated people… pose little public safety risk but high costs to the state.” – Alissa Skog

In this week’s episode of Everyday Injustice, host David Greenwald speaks with Alissa Skog, a researcher at the California Policy Lab, about her team’s new report on California’s expansive re-sentencing policies and their impact on recidivism. Skog explains that California has gone further than most states in reviewing long sentences imposed under older laws, such as Proposition 36 and Proposition 47, and felony murder reform — all aimed at bringing past sentences in line with current standards.

Skog highlights that many of those resentenced are older individuals who have served a decade or more behind bars. “Most people age out of crime,” she notes, pointing out that the data confirm this trend. For example, people resentenced under Proposition 36 had a three-year conviction rate of 25 percent, far below the statewide benchmark of 41 percent for all people released from state prison. For those resentenced under felony murder reform, only 10 percent were convicted within three years, with most new convictions being misdemeanors.

The discussion underscores the humanitarian and fiscal logic of re-sentencing. Older incarcerated people, Skog adds, pose little public safety risk but high costs to the state. She cites nearly 15,000 people in California prisons who are over 50 and have served more than 15 years — a population that could be safely reviewed for release under new policies being considered by the Board of Parole Hearings.

Greenwald and Skog conclude that California’s experience offers a model for other states, showing that releasing long-incarcerated people can be both safe and just. “These are people that should get a review because generally they’re a low risk,” Skog says, urging continued study and expansion of early review mechanisms across the system.

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Categories: Breaking News Podcast Tags: Alissa Skog California Policy Lab felony murder reform Proposition 36 Proposition 47 re-sentencing