The Urban Peace Institute (UPI) believes local governments should be responsive to community needs through public investments. Given the changing landscape in criminal justice reform, UPI’s report examines Orange County’s public spending and investments in its criminal justice system.

Our findings demonstrate that public investments are not meeting the needs of Orange County’s vulnerable residents and communities of color.

Our Findings

1. Orange County residents are not getting the public safety they deserve.

Orange County’s overall budget has grown by 11%, and its public protection budget has grown 15% over the last six years. Despite this additional spending, from 2013 to 2018, violent crimes covered by Orange County Sherriff’s Department increased by 28.6%. 

With the exception of the Health Care Agency, investments in community-based organizations have largely remained the same. The same budget priorities and strategies are not working. New strategies need to be invested in.

2. Orange County is not investing in community-based alternatives to address the root causes of the devastating cycle of mass incarceration.

Orange County is relying heavily on punishment to address community health issues such as drug use, with large increases in criminal justice spending driven by the expansion of jail facilities.

Most troubling, while juvenile arrests have decreased by 60%, Probation spending on juvenile detention and supervision has increased by 57%.

3. Orange County’s budget does not reflect the needs of low-income residents and communities of color.

Low wage jobs are growing significantly faster than middle and high wage jobs, and the median hourly wage for White Orange County residents is over double that of their Latino counterparts. Rent burden is a continuous problem, especially for people of color, and homelessness increased by over 43% from 2017 to 2019.

Our Analysis

●        Describes trends in income, poverty, and crime in Orange County

●        Analyzes Orange County’s departmental budgets and public spending on community-based organizations to identify budgetary trends and departmental priorities over the past six years. Our report examines the budgets of Orange County’s 1) District Attorney, 2) Probation Department, 3) Sheriff’s Department, and 4) Health Care Agency.

●        Provides insight to inform a regional blueprint for public systems and service providers

View our full report and report summary: