California prison population drops below 100,000 for first time in 30 years

California’s prison population dropped below 100,000 inmates for the first time in 30 years, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Thursday.

By the end of July, the in-prison population was 99,929.

“The last time that number was below 100,000 was in 1990, when California’s overall population was almost 10 million less than it is today,” CDCR said.

Since March, CDCR has reduced the population of its prisons by 14,856 through early release programs and decreasing intake from county jails, CDCR said. Inmates were also released under special state provisions that took effect July 10.

These steps were taken to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 among prison staff, inmates and the community, CDCR said.

This story was originally published July 31, 2020 at 11:02 AM with the headline "California prison population drops below 100,000 for first time in 30 years."