California’s prison population is lower today than it was in 1990

End of year prison population, 1920-2023

Source: Historical Annual and Monthly CDCR Population Reports. Since 1945, "end of year" has referred to the calendar year, with the population measured consistently on December 31. Prior to 1945, measures were made at the end of each fiscal year. The recorded peak (n=173,357) occurred in October 2006. Chart: PPIC 2024 Get the data Embed