California
Guides and facility information for CDCR (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) prisons.
California’s prison system is run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), which operates 31 adult institutions across the state. The CDCR visiting hotline is 1-800-374-8474. Use the guides below for state-specific rules and procedures, or jump to a specific facility.
State guides
Visiting in California (CDCR)
How to get approved to visit, schedule through VSA, follow the dress code, and what to expect on visiting day at a California state prison.
Mail & Packages in CDCR
How to send letters, electronic messages, photos, books, and quarterly packages to someone in a California state prison, including approved-vendor package rules.
Phone & Video Calls in CDCR
How phone and video calls work in California state prisons, including free audio calls, video and messaging costs, and the 2026 ViaPath-to-Securus transition.
Sending Money in CDCR
How to deposit money into a CDCR trust account, the deposit methods CDCR accepts, fees, the restitution deduction, and the monthly canteen limit.
Medical & Mental Health in CDCR
How medical, dental, and mental health care work in California state prisons, including the no-co-pay rule, mental health levels of care, and the grievance process.
Transfers & Facility Changes in CDCR
Why CDCR transfers happen, how to find someone after a move using CIRIS, how a transfer affects visiting approval, and what to expect with contact.
Facilities
Women's facilities
California Health Care Facility, Stockton
Stockton · All custody levels — medical and mental health patients
California Institution for Women
Chino · Mixed
Central California Women's Facility
Chowchilla · All women's custody levels
Men's facilities
Avenal State Prison
Avenal · Level I-II (Reentry Hub)
California Correctional Institution
Tehachapi · Mixed (Level I-IV, with a reception center and a security housing unit)
California Health Care Facility, Stockton
Stockton · All custody levels — medical and mental health patients
California Institution for Men
Chino · Mixed (Level I-II)
California Medical Facility
Vacaville · Medium security — medical and psychiatric care (men)
California Men's Colony
San Luis Obispo · Mixed (Level I-III)
California Rehabilitation Center
Norco · Level II (medium); closing fall 2026
California State Prison, Corcoran
Corcoran · Mixed (Level I, III, and IV)
California State Prison, Los Angeles County
Lancaster · Mixed (Levels I, III, IV)
California State Prison, Sacramento
Represa · Level IV (maximum), with specialized mental-health and medical missions
California State Prison, Solano
Vacaville · Levels II-III general population (men)
Calipatria State Prison
Calipatria · Mixed (Level I-IV)
Centinela State Prison
Imperial · Mixed (Level I, III, and IV; includes Sensitive Needs)
Correctional Training Facility
Soledad · Levels I-II general population (men)
Folsom State Prison
Folsom · Mixed (Level I-III)
High Desert State Prison
Susanville · Mixed (Level III and IV); specialized disability placement
Ironwood State Prison
Blythe · Level I-II (Reentry Hub)
Kern Valley State Prison
Delano · Level IV (maximum), with a Level I minimum-support facility
Mule Creek State Prison
Ione · Minimum through maximum custody (men)
North Kern State Prison
Delano · Reception Center, with medium-custody and minimum support yards
Pelican Bay State Prison
Crescent City · Mixed (Level II and IV)
Pleasant Valley State Prison
Coalinga · Mixed (all custody levels)
Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility
San Diego · Mixed (Level I-IV, general population and SNY)
Salinas Valley State Prison
Soledad · Levels I, III, and IV — minimum through maximum custody (men)
San Quentin Rehabilitation Center
San Quentin · Mixed (Level I-III)
Sierra Conservation Center
Jamestown · Minimum and medium custody; conservation-camp hub
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran
Corcoran · Medium through maximum custody (men)
Valley State Prison
Chowchilla · Level II (general population with SNY placement)
Wasco State Prison
Wasco · Reception Center, with medium-custody and minimum support yards
Organizations that help families
Independent organizations in this state that support families of incarcerated people. They are not affiliated with this site, and their services and contact details can change — contact an organization directly to confirm what it offers.
Friends Outside
Statewide California nonprofit (since 1955) that staffs hospitality/visitor centers at California prisons and provides family-liaison services and reentry services, with a focus on supporting children and families affected by a parent's incarceration (including help with children's visits).
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) / All of Us or None
Oakland-based 501(c)(3) that organizes communities affected by the justice system and advocates to release incarcerated people, restore rights, and reunify families; also home to All of Us or None, a grassroots civil-rights organization of formerly and currently incarcerated people and their families. (Provides manuals/referrals, not individual case representation.)
Root & Rebound
Oakland-based reentry legal-advocacy nonprofit that delivers legal knowledge and skills to people in reentry and the families, agencies, and communities that support them — via a weekly reentry hotline, mobile legal clinics, workshops/trainings, and the "Roadmap to Reentry" California legal guide.
Initiate Justice
Los Angeles-based nonprofit working "to end incarceration by activating the power of the people it directly impacts," centering currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families through policy advocacy, leadership development (Institute of Impacted Leaders), and rights restoration.
CDCR Statewide Inmate Family Council (SIFC) + per-prison Inmate Family Councils (IFCs)
A CDCR-recognized advisory body of family members of incarcerated people that works jointly with CDCR to improve communication and resolve systemic visiting/family issues; the statewide council (SIFC) holds quarterly meetings and feeds information to local Inmate Family Councils (IFCs) at individual prisons. A direct conduit to organized California prison families.
Centerforce
California nonprofit (founded 1977 to shelter families visiting San Quentin) that operates prison visitor centers across the state — including transportation and drop-in childcare — and provides health education, resource navigation, and reentry support for people impacted by incarceration and their families.
Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC)
Statewide California nonprofit (offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento) that empowers formerly and currently incarcerated people through reentry services (case management, housing, employment, mentorship), in-prison programs, and policy advocacy driven by currently/formerly incarcerated members, youth, and their families.