Berkeley, CA, July 13th, 2026 — The nonpartisan California Policy Lab (CPL) released two new publications today focused on domestic violence in California. The first publication, a report (“The Effects of California’s Domestic Violence Pilot on Recidivism Outcomes”), evaluates California’s Domestic Violence Pilot Program (AB 372), which allows six participating counties to tailor probation interventions (for people convicted of domestic violence) based on individuals’ assessed risks and needs rather than relying on the state’s traditional 52-week program model.
The second publication, a policy brief (“Domestic Violence in California”), documents statewide trends in domestic violence in California over the past decade, including trends around calls for assistance, arrests, and convictions for domestic violence offenses. It also shows the characteristics of people who are convicted of domestic violence and the sentences they receive for these offenses, and how convictions for domestic violence vary across counties.
In June, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1549, extending California’s Domestic Violence Pilot Program through 2030, and expanding the pilot to Sacramento County.
California’s Domestic Violence Pilot Program was originally created by AB 372, which was enacted in 2018. The law was enacted in response to concerns that California’s traditional domestic violence probation model, which requires nearly everyone sentenced to probation for domestic violence to complete a 52-week batterer intervention program, is not the most effective model for reducing recidivism. AB 372 authorized six pilot counties — Napa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Yolo — to instead tailor programming based on validated assessments of an individual’s risk of reoffending and treatment needs. Lower-risk individuals may receive shorter interventions, while higher-risk individuals receive more intensive programming and additional services such as substance use treatment, cognitive behavioral programming, and mental health services.
The evaluation examined outcomes for people sentenced to probation for domestic violence offenses in the six pilot counties and compared changes in recidivism before and after implementation with changes observed in non-pilot counties across California. Using statewide criminal history records from the California Department of Justice, together with supplemental analyses from participating probation departments, researchers found consistent evidence that the pilot improved reconviction outcomes.
“The findings indicate that tailoring intervention intensity to an individual’s assessed risks and needs can produce better outcomes than the one-size-fits-all model,” said Dr. Mia Bird, the lead author of the evaluation and an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. “These results provide evidence that giving counties the flexibility to match interventions to individuals’ risks and needs can reduce recidivism.”
The statewide evaluation found that the pilot reduced the two-year overall reconviction rate for pilot participants by approximately 15 percent and the reconviction rate for domestic violence offenses by 20 percent relative to comparable individuals sentenced in non-pilot counties. Researchers found no evidence that the pilot increased either overall rearrest rates or domestic violence rearrest rates. The study also found that even among individuals who were reconvicted, those in pilot counties remained conviction-free approximately 39 days longer than comparable individuals in non-pilot counties.
Additional Background
The Domestic Violence Pilot Program was authorized by AB 372 in 2018 to test whether a risk- and needs-based approach to domestic violence probation could improve outcomes relative to California’s traditional 52-week batterer intervention model. The evaluation draws on statewide criminal history data from the California Department of Justice’s Automated Criminal History System together with probation department data from Napa, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz Counties. Researchers used a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences design to estimate the effects of the pilot on two-year recidivism outcomes.
This research was made possible through a partnership between the California Policy Lab at the University of California and the Committee on Revision of the Penal Code, a state agency that studies and makes recommendations to improve California’s criminal legal system.
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The California Policy Lab generates research insights for government impact. Through hands-on partnerships with government agencies, CPL performs rigorous research across issue areas and builds the data infrastructure necessary to improve programs and policies that millions of Californians rely on every day.