Bay Area Sentencing Patterns
Felony disposition outcomes, plea rates, and reform metrics across 9 Bay Area counties. Built from Judicial Council, DOJ, and CJCJ data sources.
41,210
Total Felony Dispositions
9 counties, 2023
8%
Avg Prison Rate (2023)
per county
13.5%
Avg Diversion Rate (2023)
statewide avg ~8%
92.4%
Avg Plea Rate (2023)
resolved by plea
2%
Avg Trial Rate (2023)
go to trial
151
Avg Days to Disposition (2023)
days average
Key Insights
Plea Dominance
Over 92% of Bay Area felony cases resolve by plea (2023) — only ~2% go to trial. Defense attorneys must be expert negotiators, not just litigators.
Diversion Expansion
SF leads with 18% diversion rate (2023), nearly double the statewide ~8% average. Mental health and drug diversion programs continue expanding across the Bay.
Enhancement Disparity
Enhancement filing rates range from 11.2% (SF) to 24.3% (Solano) (2023) — a 2x gap in how aggressively DAs use enhancements. This directly impacts sentencing exposure.
Sentence Length Variation
Average felony sentence ranges from 24.5 months (SF) to 32.8 months (Solano) (2023). Where your case is prosecuted matters as much as the charge itself.
County Sentencing Outcomes
Click any column header to sort. Calendar year 2023 data.
Scroll right for more columns →
| County | Felony Disp. | Prison Rate | Jail Rate | Probation | Diversion | Plea Rate | Trial Rate | Avg Sentence (mo) | Enhancement Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 9,870 | 8% | 16% | 32% | 13% | 92.4% | 1.8% | 28.4 | 18.2% |
| Alameda | 9,240 | 7% | 15% | 32% | 14.5% | 91.8% | 2% | 26.1 | 15.8% |
| Contra Costa | 6,180 | 9.1% | 17% | 33% | 11% | 93.2% | 1.9% | 30.2 | 21.4% |
| San Francisco | 4,120 | 6.1% | 12.9% | 29.1% | 18% | 90.1% | 2.4% | 24.5 | 11.2% |
| San Mateo | 3,680 | 8.4% | 16% | 32.9% | 13% | 93% | 1.7% | 29.8 | 19.5% |
| Sonoma | 3,120 | 9% | 17% | 34% | 11.9% | 93.8% | 2.1% | 31 | 22.1% |
| Solano | 3,040 | 9.9% | 18.1% | 33.6% | 10.2% | 94.2% | 1.6% | 32.8 | 24.3% |
| Marin | 1,180 | 7.2% | 15.3% | 32.2% | 16.1% | 91.5% | 2.3% | 26.8 | 14.5% |
| Napa | 780 | 7.7% | 16% | 32.7% | 14.1% | 92% | 2.2% | 27.5 | 16% |
Where Do Cases End Up?
Sentence type breakdown by county as a percentage of all felony dispositions. Hover over segments for details.
County Comparison Tool
Compare sentencing outcomes between any two Bay Area counties side by side.
Prison Rate
San Francisco
6.1%
-3 pp
Contra Costa
9.1%
Diversion Rate
San Francisco
18%
+7 pp
Contra Costa
11%
Dismissal Rate
San Francisco
23.8%
+6.8 pp
Contra Costa
17%
Avg Sentence
San Francisco
24.5 mo
-5.7 mo
Contra Costa
30.2 mo
Enhancement Rate
San Francisco
11.2%
-10.2 pp
Contra Costa
21.4%
Days to Disposition
San Francisco
145
-13 days
Contra Costa
158
Diversion Leaders
Diversion programs offer alternatives to incarceration, including mental health diversion (PC 1001.36), drug diversion (PC 1000), and veterans diversion (PC 1001.80). Counties ranked by diversion rate.
5-Year Trends (2019 - 2023)
Aggregated sentencing trend data across all 9 Bay Area counties. 2020 reflects COVID-19 pandemic impact on court operations.
Scroll right for more columns →
| Year | Total Disp. | Prison Rate | Probation | Diversion | Plea Rate | Trial Rate | Avg Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 43,800 | 10.8% | 35.2% | 8.5% | 94.1% | 2.4% | 142 |
| 2020COVID | 34,200 | 9.5% | 34% | 9.8% | 93.8% | 1.8% | 185 |
| 2021 | 36,900 | 8.8% | 33.2% | 11.2% | 93.2% | 1.9% | 178 |
| 2022 | 39,500 | 8.4% | 32.8% | 12.5% | 92.8% | 2% | 162 |
| 2023 | 41,210 | 8% | 32.4% | 13.5% | 92.4% | 2% | 153 |
Reform Metrics
Tracking California criminal justice reform measures across Bay Area counties.
Proposition 47 (2014)
Reclassified certain felonies to misdemeanors. Petitions allow individuals with prior convictions to seek resentencing for qualifying offenses.
Proposition 36 (2012)
Reformed the Three Strikes Law to require the third strike be a serious or violent felony. Petitions allow resentencing for those serving life under the old law.
Three Strikes
Three Strikes filings reflect how often DAs invoke prior strike convictions. Filing frequency varies significantly by county DA policy and priorities.
Alameda
Santa Clara
San Francisco
Contra Costa
San Mateo
Solano
Sonoma
Marin
Napa
Methodology & Sources
Sentencing data is for calendar year 2023, compiled from multiple official California sources. Rates represent per-county averages and may not sum exactly to 100% due to the 'other' category. 5-year trends show Bay Area aggregate data. Enhancement rates reflect DA filing frequency, not conviction rates.
Last updated: 2025-06 | Coverage period: Calendar Year 2023