Solano County — Criminal Defense Intelligence
Comprehensive intelligence briefing for Solano County — the Bay Area’s crisis county with the worst defense funding parity (0.37), highest judicial caseload (853 cases/judge), highest pretrial detention rate (77.6%), and 94.8% jail capacity.
CRISIS COUNTY: Solano has the worst indicators across multiple Bay Area metrics
Criminal Filings
12,800
Cases/Judge
853
PD/DA Parity
0.37
Pretrial Detention
77.6%
Jail Capacity
94.8%
FTA Rate
17.2%
Solano County Court System
Caseload, disposition, and judicial capacity data — FY 2023-24.
Criminal Filings
12,800
3,800 felonies · 9,000 misdemeanors
Dispositions
12,100
94.5% clearance rate
Pending Cases
4,300
+4.5% YoY growth
Cases per Judge
853
HIGHEST in Bay Area
Avg Days to Disposition
161
2nd slowest
Trial Rate
1.6%
Lowest in Bay Area
Infractions
21,100
Court Under Extreme Pressure
At 853 cases/judge (double SF’s), a trial rate of only 1.6% (Bay Area’s lowest), and 4.5% backlog growth, Solano’s court is processing cases through plea bargains at an unsustainable pace. Defendants face enormous pressure to accept deals.
Bench Composition
Judicial profiles, vacancies, and demographics — 2024.
Authorized Judgeships
17
15 filled
Vacancies
2
11.8% vacancy rate
Commissioners
3
18 total bench officers
Criminal Assignments
5
4 civil · 4 family · 2 juvenile
Judicial Demographics
Gender
Male: 8 (53%)
Female: 7 (47%)
Race/Ethnicity
White: 7 (47%)
Hispanic: 3
Black: 2
Asian: 2
Other/Declined: 1
Prior Career
Prosecutor: 7 (47%)
Public Defender: 2 (13%)
Private Practice: 4
Government: 1
47% prosecutors vs 13% defenders — heavy prosecution tilt
Appointed By
Newsom: 5
Brown: 6
Schwarzenegger: 3
Other: 1
Avg years on bench: 12.4
Retirement Eligible (5yr)
4 judges
26.7% of bench
Vacancy Rate
11.8%
2nd highest in Bay Area
Prosecution & Defense Funding
DA vs PD budgets, charging patterns, and resource parity — FY 2023-24.
DA Budget
$40M
40 attorneys
PD Budget
$15M
18 attorneys
PD/DA Ratio
0.37
WORST in Bay Area
Attorney Ratio
0.45
WORST in Bay Area
Decline Rate
6.2%
Lowest in Bay Area
Diversion Rate
5.5%
Lowest in Bay Area
Felony Filing Rate
720/100K
2nd highest
Case Review
12 days
Slowest in Bay Area
Charging Patterns
Note: Solano has the lowest wobbler rate (9.5%) — less defense-favorable prosecutorial discretion.
Systemic Defense Crisis
Solano has the Bay Area’s worst defense funding ($0.37 per DA dollar), only 18 public defenders vs 40 prosecutors, lowest decline rate (6.2%), lowest diversion rate (5.5%), and slowest case review (12 days). Defendants face aggressive prosecution with inadequate defense resources.
Pretrial Detention & Bail
Jail population, pretrial detention, and release patterns — 2023.
Avg Daily Jail Pop
1,060
94.8% capacity
Detention Rate
77.6%
HIGHEST in Bay Area
Median Bail
$50K
OR Release Rate
21.3%
LOWEST in Bay Area
Pretrial Detainees
823
Avg Days Detained
38
LONGEST in Bay Area
FTA Rate
17.2%
2nd highest
Pretrial Staff
7
2nd lowest
Release Types
Risk assessment tool: Public Safety Assessment (PSA)
Critical Jail Capacity
At 94.8% capacity, Solano’s jail is dangerously full. Combined with the highest pretrial detention rate (77.6%), lowest OR rate (21.3%), and longest detention (38 days), this creates conditions that may violate Sixth Amendment protections.
Specialty Courts
Data Sources
Related Intelligence
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