The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) operates the second largest prison system in the United States. And men and women of color in California continue to be incarcerated at higher rates than white men and women. In recent years, Californians have expressed their desire to reduce reliance on incarceration, calling for an end to excessive sentencing practices. In 2022, LA County proposed a robust program designed to assist in remedying this decades-long over-incarceration in the state by developing a global, collaborative approach to resentencing indigent defense clients –the Public Defense Pilot Program.
The Alternate Public Defender (APD) recently received a grant from the state and will partner with FUSE to initiate this specialized resentencing unit within its agency. The FUSE Executive Fellow will refine and implement data collection and reporting systems to allow APD to understand and externally report on the program’s progress. The Executive Fellow will also break down silos between key agencies and build communication pathways to support the program’s success. This work will result in immediate resentencing and reentry for over-incarcerated individuals and provide the data and systems necessary to support a local justice system that is restorative and rooted in a robust community-based system of care.
