SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Increased efforts by California to change the behavior of prison inmates have not reduced the rate at which ex-convicts commit new crimes, state auditors reported Thursday.
The assessment relied on five-year-old data, prompting state corrections officials to say auditors may be drawing conclusions too soon.
The data used by auditors predates an expansion of rehabilitation programs and new efforts to see if the programs are working, corrections officials said.
State Auditor Elaine Howle said in her assessment that recidivism rates did not vary significantly between inmates who participated in the most rehabilitation programs and those who completed no programs at all….