August 23, 2025 – SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) published its first report on recidivism rates of incarcerated people who participated in community reentry programs, finding they are significantly less likely to be convicted or return to prison than incarcerated people who did not participate.

Nearly 80 percent of women and 74 percent of men who participated in enhanced alternative custody programs (EACP) did not recidivate after release from the programs in fiscal year 2019-20. For women, this rate is nearly 15 percentage points lower than women who did not participate, and nearly 14 percentage points lower for the men.

These findings show a positive trend in California’s investments to improve public safety by providing incarcerated people with resources to help them become self-sufficient and aid in their transition into the community.

These community reentry programs, which include the Female Community Reentry Program (FCRP) and Male Community Reentry Program (MCRP), are voluntary, evidence-based programming for eligible individuals with two years or less remaining on their prison sentence. Participants complete the remainder of their sentence with specialized supervision in a secure, community-based facility where they have access to substance use disorder treatment, employment readiness and vocational training, educational opportunities, connections to healthcare services and family reunification support. As participants progress through structured in-house programming, they may become eligible for approved off-site passes to pursue employment or higher education.

This report contains the most recent recidivism information available, examining 1,000 MCRP participants and 360 FCRP participants who were released in FY 2019-20. CDCR uses a national standard in calculating recidivism rates over a three-year period. A cohort’s arrests, convictions and returns to prison are evaluated to measure the official recidivism rate. CDCR’s overall recidivism rate is 39.1 percent (a decline of 2.8 percentage points over the previous year), while the rate for MCRP participants is 26.5 percent and the rate for FCRP participants is 18.3 percent.

A total of 265 MCRP participants were convicted during the three-year follow-up period, with 61.5 percent convicted of post-release felonies and 38.5 percent convicted of misdemeanors. Sixty-six FCRP participants were convicted during this period, with 54.5 percent of these convictions for felonies and 45.5 percent for misdemeanors. In general, women are more likely to reoffend for property or drug/alcohol crimes (misdemeanor or felony) than crimes against persons when compared to men.

CDCR’s Office of Research also produces recidivism briefings for other subgroups of individuals. To learn more about the positive impact of CDCR programming and recidivism rates for Fire Camp participants, Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Educational and Vocational Programs, please visit: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/research/offender-outcomes-characteristics/offender-recidivism.

Source: CDCR