One, allowing contracting with counties for parole supervision, like Oregon and Minnesota have for forty years. This would save more than $400 million annually in prison operating costs. California’s technical violation rate is 35 percent, compared to 20 percent for the other states. With local courts dealing with technical violations, California’s technical violation rate would return to 20% like the rest of the country.

Second, require and pay counties to provide correctional beds for technical violators from their county. Counties could provide correctional beds directly or contract with cities or private firms for correctional beds. Contract beds cost about $30,300 less in annual operating costs than prison beds. The State would save about $500 million in annual operating costs and avoid spending billions in prison construction costs. (Based on the LAOs figures, the prison bed shortage is now less than 1,500 beds.) Prior to the county jail bed shortage, technical parole violators were retained in jail rather than prison.

The State could apply any unspent AB900 bond funds to the deficit.