Summary
This data brief investigates justice involvement, specifically arrests and bookings, among California adults. Justice involvement harms the well-being of families and communities and limits access to services and employment. Justice involvement includes stops by police, arrests and bookings, sentencing and imprisonment, fatal encounters with law enforcement, probation, and parole. Incarcerated persons have higher rates of infectious and chronic diseases, disabilities, and mental health conditions than the general public.
The publication uses 2021–2022 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data.
Findings: Data shows disparities in justice involvement by race as Black and Latino persons are more likely to be stopped by police and sentenced to prison compared to white persons. These racial inequities may be due to the fact that white adults are more likely to avoid sentencing to prison or be granted early release, as well as other factors such as generational differences, discriminatory laws and policies, inequitable enforcement of laws, and racial profiling. Further, LGBTQ+ persons are at greater risk of police contact than the general public.
