California's Investment Disparity Between Law Enforcement, Treatment, and Public Defense

The state of California spends almost 60% of money allocated to county level criminal legal systems on law enforcement including district attorneys, probation, jail systems, and police. Public defense -- a system that is constitutionally mandated -- receives the least amount of funding.

This chart reveals how much the state sent to counties for prosecutors, probation, jails, and police and the source of the funding for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.

 Report Highlights Vast Statewide Disparities in Legal System Funding

A report from the Office of the State Public Defender, Unequal Scales: California's Investment Disparity Between Prosecution and Public Defense, released May 20, 2025, reveals a nearly $1 billion annual gap between how California counties fund prosecution versus public defense. 

Key findings include:

• Counties budgeted $2.2 billion for prosecution but nearly $1 billion less for public defense in FY 2022–23.

• Over $1 billion in state grant funding supported prosecution from 2019–2025, compared to just $150 million for defense.

• Most prosecution grants are renewable and ongoing, while all current defense grants are set to expire by 2026.

• 32 counties received 5–10 times more grant money for prosecution than defense, and 12 received 20 times more.

The report urges California to create balanced, defense-inclusive grant programs and ensure that any investment in expanded prosecution is matched by resources for indigent defense. Ensuring equal justice requires equal investment.

The full report is here.