Paying a High Price

This chart shows the growth in annual budgets of the California Department of Corrections since 1943.

By the Numbers

During the past decade, the prisons budget grew from less than $730 million to more than $3 billion.

A decade ago, California allocated less than 3% of its general fund budget to prisons. This year, the state will allot more than 7.5%.

In the past 10 years, the number of inmates increased by 90,000, the number of prison employees rose by 22,000.

The state estimates it will need 25 more prisons by the year 2000.

Each prison costs roughly $200 million to build, for a total of $5 billion in construction costs, plus interest.

By the turn of the century, the prison system will cost $645 million more in annual and recurring costs to operate than it does now.

Note: California did two-year budgets in the 1940s

1943-1945: $5.4 million*

1954-1955: $20.4 million

1964-1965: $78.3 million

1974-1975: $198.7 million

1984-1985: $728 million

1994-1995: $3.1 billion**

* 0.9 percent of total budget

** 7.5% of total budget

Sources: Department of Corrections, Legislative Analyst and state budgets