Contra Costa County — Criminal Defense Intelligence
Comprehensive intelligence briefing for Contra Costa County’s criminal justice system — a county under severe pressure with the Bay Area’s second-worst defense funding parity (0.40), highest judicial caseload (714 cases/judge), and a heavily prosecutor-tilted bench (43% ex-prosecutors).
Criminal Filings
26,400
Cases/Judge
714
Vacancies
3 / 40
PD/DA Parity
0.40
Pretrial Detention
76.3%
OR Rate
24.1%
Contra Costa County Court System
Caseload, disposition, and judicial capacity data — FY 2023-24.
Criminal Filings
26,400
7,800 felonies · 18,600 misdemeanors
Dispositions
25,200
95.5% clearance rate
Pending Cases
8,950
+3.1% YoY growth
Cases per Judge
714
Highest in Bay Area
Avg Days to Disposition
155
Trial Rate
1.9%
Infractions
48,900
Critical Judicial Workload
Contra Costa has the Bay Area’s highest judicial workload (714 cases/judge) — nearly double San Francisco (386). Combined with only 37 judges handling 26,400 criminal cases, this creates severe pressure on timely resolution and access to trial.
Bench Composition
Judicial profiles, vacancies, and demographics — 2024.
Authorized Judgeships
40
37 filled
Vacancies
3
7.5% vacancy rate
Commissioners
7
44 total bench officers
Criminal Assignments
12
11 civil · 9 family · 5 juvenile
Judicial Demographics
Gender
Male: 20 (54%)
Female: 17 (46%)
Race/Ethnicity
White: 18 (49%)
Hispanic: 6
Black: 5
Asian: 4
Other/Declined: 4
Prior Career
Prosecutor: 16 (43%)
Public Defender: 5 (14%)
Private Practice: 10
Government: 4
Heavy prosecutor tilt: 43% prosecutors vs only 14% public defenders
Appointed By
Newsom: 14
Brown: 15
Schwarzenegger: 6
Other: 2
Avg years on bench: 11.5
Retirement Eligible (5yr)
9 judges
24.3% of bench
Vacancy Rate
7.5%
Near Bay Area average
Prosecution & Defense Funding
DA vs PD budgets, charging patterns, and resource parity — FY 2023-24.
DA Budget
$95M
100 attorneys
PD Budget
$38M
52 attorneys
PD/DA Ratio
0.40
2nd worst in Bay Area
Attorney Ratio
0.52
2nd lowest
Decline Rate
7.4%
2nd lowest in Bay Area
Diversion Rate
6.8%
Very low
Felony Filing Rate
680/100K
High
Case Review
10 days
Slower than average
Charging Patterns
Funding Parity Crisis
Contra Costa’s Public Defender receives only $0.40 for every DA dollar — the Bay Area’s second-worst ratio (after Solano). With 52 defenders vs 100 prosecutors, the PD office is severely resource-disadvantaged. The DA also has the 2nd-lowest decline rate (7.4%) and lowest diversion rate (6.8%), indicating an aggressive prosecution posture.
Pretrial Detention & Bail
Jail population, pretrial detention, and release patterns — 2023.
Avg Daily Jail Pop
1,840
85.9% capacity
Detention Rate
76.3%
2nd highest in Bay Area
Median Bail
$55K
2nd highest in Bay Area
OR Release Rate
24.1%
2nd lowest
Pretrial Detainees
1,404
Avg Days Detained
32
3rd longest
FTA Rate
15.6%
Pretrial Staff
12
Release Types
Risk assessment tool: Public Safety Assessment (PSA)
Specialty Courts
Data Sources
Related Intelligence
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Compare Contra Costa with other counties — court, judicial, prosecution, and pretrial data.