Data Dashboards

California's judicial branch uses research, statistics, and analytics to enhance data-informed decisionmaking and increase transparency and accountability to the public.


 

Judicial Officer Demographics

The charts below track changes in key demographic characteristics of the California bench over time, including gender, sexual orientation & gender identity, race & ethnicity, as well as veteran or disability status. The data reflects demographic background information self-reported by justices and judges on the bench as of December 31, 2024, with a response rate of over 93%. Use the dashboard at the bottom of the page to explore by court and demographic characteristic. 

Gender

The percentage of female justices and judges has increased to 41%, compared to 26% in 2006, continuing a steady upward trend. 

Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity

This is the 14th year that the study includes data on gender identity and sexual orientation, as required by a law passed in 2011. More than 80% of respondents provided information about gender identity/sexual orientation.

Race & Ethnicity

Since 2006, there has been an increase in the percentage of respondents reported in all BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) categories. The most dramatic increase was seen in Hispanic, Asian, and Black judicial officers.
These changes reflect judicial retirements and other departures from the bench, new judicial appointments, and an increase in the number of trial court judges who voluntarily provided race/ethnicity information. 

Veteran & Disability Status

In addition, this is the 11th year that the study includes data on veteran and disability status. These questions were first asked of justices and judges who were new to the bench during the 2014 calendar year. Judges appointed before this date are free to update this aspect of their demographic profile as well.

Explore all data

Filter the data by courts and specific demographics to focus on trends in specific California counties. 

View the full report here.

 


 

Court Statistics Report

Filings and Dispositions

A filing is the initiation of a legal action with the court through a carefully prescribed legal procedure. A disposition may be described as a final settlement or determination in a case. A final judgment, a dismissal of a case, and the sentencing of a criminal defendant are all examples of dispositions.

California judicial officers and court employees

Judges, Subordinate Judicial Officers, and employees for Superior Courts

View the full report here.

 


 

CARE Act

The Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act seeks to provide mental health services, support, and accountability for Californians living with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. The court’s role is to oversee the case through the CARE Act process by monitoring progress, resolving each case, and providing accountability for all parties. 

CARE Act petitions

CARE Act cases are initiated by filing a petition. Petitioners include certain family members, health care or social service providers, first responders, or respondents themselves.2  

The first seven courts began accepting petitions on October 2, 2023. The increase in petitions in 2025 reflects statewide implementation of the CARE Act with all courts accepting CARE Act petitions starting in December 2024. 

CARE Act hearings

One of the court’s roles in the CARE Act is to convene relevant local public agencies and stakeholders, including behavioral health and social service agencies, to coordinate the delivery of available services to respondents through CARE Act hearings.

CARE Act hearings can take place all throughout a CARE Act case. Hearings are held to determine eligibility, create CARE agreements and plans, check on the progress of the respondent and services provided by behavioral health, and facilitate graduation from the program.  

The increase in hearings over time can be attributed to (1) more CARE Act petitions being filed and (2) more cases making their way through the CARE Act process. The significant increase in hearings in 2025 reflects statewide implementation of the CARE Act with all courts accepting CARE Act petitions starting in December 2024 and conducting CARE Act proceedings.

CARE agreements and plans

If an individual is eligible for the CARE Act, the court may approve a CARE agreement or order a CARE plan. A CARE agreement is a voluntary agreement between the respondent and the county behavioral health agency that includes an individualized range of community-based services and supports. If a CARE agreement is not reached, the court may then order the creation of a CARE plan. A CARE plan is a court-ordered plan that also includes an individualized range of community-based services and supports.

Both CARE agreements and CARE plans connect the respondent with services and treatment. CARE agreements are preferred since they allow for full agreement from both parties (the respondent and county behavioral health) for the service arrangement. 

The vast majority of cases that have reached the stage of the CARE process where the court approves a service arrangement have entered into CARE agreements.

Read the full report here.

 


 

Trends in Felony Court Case Processing

Felony Sentencing Trends

Realignment resulted in four distinct sentence types for felony cases, including, straight, split, probation and prison. Probation allows individuals to remain in the community under county probation supervision for all or a portion of their sentence. They may serve up to one year in jail as a condition of their supervision. Straight and split sentences can be imposed for Penal Code § 1170(h) offenses which include non-serious, non-violent, and non-sexual felony offenses. With a straight sentence, an individual will serve their full term in county jail and then be released without supervision. With a split sentence, an individual typically “splits” their term between jail time and community supervision. Occasionally individuals with a split sentence will serve their entire term supervised in the community with no jail time. With a prison sentence, the individual will be incarcerated, serving their sentence in state prison, and typically be released on parole or PRCS.
The dashboard below displays the number of felony sentences, by type and the relative proportions for each sentence type. Total felony sentences dropped dramatically after Proposition 47 went into effect in the fourth quarter of 2014.


Source: Quarterly sentencing data reported to Criminal Justice Services, Judicial Council of California, pursuant to Penal Code § 131555 

Straight vs. Split Sentences

The dashboard below compares the numbers of straight and split 1170(h) sentences. In the last quarter of 2014, straight and split sentences declined sharply, likely as a result of Proposition 47. On January 1st, 2015, California Rule of Court, rule 4.415(a) created a presumption that a split sentence would be imposed by the courts for 1170(h) sentences.


Source: Quarterly sentencing data reported to Criminal Justice Services, Judicial Council of California, pursuant to Penal Code § 131555. 

Petitions for Modification / Revocation of Supervision

Previously, populations exiting prison were supervised by state parole. Since Realignment, individuals released from prison for non-serious, non-violent, and non-sexual offenses are typically supervised by county probation departments under Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS). Mandatory Supervision (MS) is the community supervision portion of a split sentence. Generally, individuals serve time in jail before release to MS, although occasionally individuals may serve their entire split sentence under MS. As mentioned in the section above, a probation allows individuals to remain in the community under county probation supervision for all or a portion of their sentence. Generally, individuals released from state prison who are not eligible for PRCS are released under state parole supervision.
The dashboard below displays the number and relative proportions of petitions for modification or revocation of supervision, by supervision type. Similar to the drop seen in probation sentences displayed in the first dashboard, petitions for the modification/revocation of probation supervision declined sharply, likely as a result of Proposition 47.


Source: Quarterly petitions data reported to Criminal Justice Services, Judicial Council of California, pursuant to Penal Code § 131555. 

Presentence Warrants for Failure to Appear (FTAs) in Felony Cases

The number of warrants for failure to appear (FTAs) in felony cases rose steadily prior to Proposition 47. The first chart in the dashboard below shows that after the proposition’s passage, the number of felony FTAs dropped. This drop likely corresponds with a simultaneous rise in misdemeanor FTAs, as Proposition 47 reduced a number of offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. The second chart in the dashboard below displays the number of felony FTAs and the number of felony filings. The third chart uses the same data, to show the proportion of felony FTAs per felony filing.


Source: Quarterly FTA data reported to Criminal Justice Services, Judicial Council of California, pursuant to Penal Code § 131555. Felony filings data reported to the Office of Court Research, queried from the Judicial Branch Statistical Information System (JBSIS) on June 23, 2025.

Read the full report here.