(IMAGN) California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke at Shasta College in Redding on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. Newsom, 57, is among a generation of Democratic politicians under 60 who are seen as the future of the party.
Sacramento, California – Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed the closure of another California state prison by October 2026, as part of his plan to reduce the state’s $12 billion budget deficit. The move, outlined in his new budget proposal released Wednesday, would mark the fifth prison shuttered under his administration.
Although Newsom did not identify which facility is targeted for closure, his administration estimates that the shutdown would save the state approximately $150 million annually. Despite the implementation of Proposition 36 — a recent law expected to temporarily increase the state’s prison population — Newsom emphasized that he expects long-term incarceration rates to decline.
“While Proposition 36 is expected to increase (the prison) population, the population should continue its downward trend over the long term,” Newsom wrote in his proposal.
California’s prison population has seen a dramatic decline in recent years. At its peak in 2006, the state incarcerated roughly 165,000 people. Today, that number is about 91,000, following sentencing reforms, court-ordered reductions, and pandemic-related releases.
The proposed prison closure is part of a broader effort to manage the state’s shrinking prison population while reducing costs. According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the continued downward trend could enable the state to shut down up to five additional prisons, saving an estimated $1 billion per year.
Advocacy groups praised the governor’s decision. Amber-Rose Howard, executive director of Californians United for a Responsible Budget, called the move “a step in the right direction.”
“In the midst of an extremely difficult political moment, where Californians are suffering budget cuts to life-affirming programs, prison closures are a smart solution to offset some of those cuts,” Howard said.
Under Newsom’s leadership, the state has closed four prisons, including Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy (2021), California Correctional Center in Susanville (2023), and the privately operated California City Correctional Facility. Most recently, the California government emptied the Chuckwalla Valley State Prison near the Arizona border in October 2024, despite pushback from the local community of Blythe.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson Terri Hardy said the department will determine the following closure site based on specific criteria, including facility condition, proximity to other prisons, local economic impact, and available inmate programming.
“The state would support the affected local community and workforce with an economic resiliency plan, and workers would be offered transfers to nearby facilities,” Hardy said.
The state’s prison system is projected to cost $13.6 billion in the coming fiscal year.
