Data from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reveals that nearly one-third of prisoners released early during the COVID pandemic ended up back in prison.
A study by CalMatters shows that between April 2020 and December 2021, the corrections department freed nearly 15,000 people early. Roughly 4,600 had gone back to prison as of Jan. 31, 2025. At the time, Governor Gavin Newsom and the corrections department did not widely share the full list of the names and crimes of the people they sent home early.
The data shows that most prisoners who were released early steered clear of serious crimes that would land them back in prison.
The top three reasons people went back to prison were illegally possessing a gun, assault, and burglary.
