California has been closing state prisons under the administration of Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom.
Posted by The Dan Bongino Show, Checked
- Sources
- 2 contradict3 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 68%
The Dan Bongino ShowOct 16, 2026
The Newsom part holds: sources report he closed several prisons from 2021 on, with five closed under him by late 2026.
A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.
What was said
… The governor does not run law enforcement in California and shouldn't try. But the big thing that has gone in the wrong direction is the starting point for what I would change, and that is the prison closure program. Over the last it actually started before Newsom, under Jerry Brown they've been closing state prisons in California. As a result of that, ten driven by ideology, by an ideology they call it's part of the criminal justice reform. They call it decarceration. …
The Dan Bongino Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. A 2021 report says California ordered state prison closures 'for the first time in nearly two decades,' which spans Brown's tenure and implies no closures under him.[2]
Contradicts. CalMatters describes the 2021 closure as the first of several under Newsom, indicating the closure program began with his administration.[3]
Supports. Newsom's administration has closed multiple state prisons since 2021, and reporting describes five closures under his watch by 2026.[3][4][5][6]
Context. Under Brown, the prison population fell sharply due to AB 109 and related measures, and Brown tried to shut the Norco prison around 2016 but it received a reprieve.[1][4][7]
Sources
7 sources: 1 fact-checker, 6 not rated
- 1Has violent crime been on the rise in Calif. since 2011? - PolitiFactpolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2Prisons close as California inmate population dwindlescapitolweekly.net · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 3California prisons: Newsom can shut more, report says - CalMatterscalmatters.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 4California prison towns grasp for new jobs after closureslatimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 5Newsom Moves to Close Another State Prison. That Makes 5 ...pasadenanow.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6How California plans to trim CDCR spending without closuressacbee.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Susanville, California, is being punished for town's business of punishmentvcstar.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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