Mixed (Levels I, III, IV) · State Prison · CDCR

California State Prison, Los Angeles County

Lancaster, Los Angeles County, California

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (661) 729-2000 Info last verified: June 2026

The only state prison in Los Angeles County, a multi-mission institution in the Antelope Valley high desert west of Lancaster.

Statewide rules that apply at every CDCR institution

These rules are set by CDCR and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in California.

Dress code

Avoid blue denim, orange, bright yellow, khaki, tan, beige, forest or olive green, and camouflage — these match what incarcerated people or staff wear.
No tank tops, tube tops, spaghetti straps, sheer fabric, or low-cut necklines; shoulders should stay mostly covered.
Skirts and shorts must be within two inches of the knee. Leggings on their own usually do not pass.
Closed-toe shoes only — no sandals, flip-flops, or backless shoes.
Underwire bras set off the metal detector; a wireless or sports bra avoids the issue.

ID: A current government-issued photo ID matching the name on the approved application is required.
What to bring: No cell phones, wallets, other electronics, food, or drinks inside. A small clear bag may hold a car key and vending money in coins and $1 bills, up to the limit the institution posts on its visiting page.
Scheduling: Visitors must be approved on CDCR Form 106 before a first visit, then schedule through the VSA online system. Walk-ins are generally not allowed.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in California

Overview

California State Prison, Los Angeles County — commonly called Lancaster or LAC — is the only state prison in Los Angeles County. CDCR describes it as a multi-mission institution housing Levels I, III, and IV, with a Minimum Support Facility, four 270-design facilities, a standalone administrative segregation unit, and a medical hub role for Enhanced Outpatient (EOP) mental health care. CDCR’s June 2026 weekly population report listed about 3,270 people against a design capacity of 2,300.

The prison opened in 1993 on the western edge of the Antelope Valley. Despite the Los Angeles County address, the setting is high desert: hot summers, freezing winter mornings, and a final approach through open desert roads west of the city of Lancaster.

What Makes California State Prison, Los Angeles County Different

It is the closest state prison for the Los Angeles metro area — the county’s only CDCR institution, about 70 miles from downtown Los Angeles by CDCR’s own description.
CDCR’s facility page describes the Progressive Programming Facility (“Honor Yard”), a programming environment created in 2000. University and advocacy accounts from 2025-2026 describe a redesignation of that yard and changes to its population mix — confirm the person’s current yard and visiting format with the facility rather than relying on published descriptions.
Cal State LA teaches an in-person bachelor’s degree program inside the prison; its fourth Lancaster cohort graduated in June 2026.
It serves as a medical hub for EOP and EOP administrative segregation levels of mental health care, which affects where people needing that care are housed.
The high-desert climate is a planning factor: summer daytime temperatures near 100°F and winter mornings at or below freezing are normal for Lancaster.

Visiting Hours and Procedures

CDCR’s public pages do not publish LAC-specific visiting days and hours — the facility’s status page shows whether visiting is open, and the actual schedule appears in the Visitation Scheduling Application (VSA). As of early June 2026, CDCR listed in-person visiting at LAC as open.

Friends Outside, the nonprofit that runs visitor centers at CDCR prisons, lists its LAC visitor center hours as Friday 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, Sunday, and designated holidays 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., and offers childcare, clothing for visitors whose attire is refused, and a waiting space; its LAC center phone is (661) 728-0844.

CDCR does not publish whether family (overnight) visits are available at LAC. Statewide rules, dress code, and the approval process are covered in Visiting in California.

Getting There and Parking

LAC is west of the city of Lancaster, reached from the CA-14 Antelope Valley Freeway and then surface streets across the valley floor.

CDCR does not publish LAC-specific parking details online.

Public transit reaches central Lancaster but not the prison: Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line ends at Lancaster Station on Sierra Highway, several miles east of the site, and no Antelope Valley Transit Authority route is published serving 60th Street West, so the final segment is by car.

Nearby Services

Lancaster and Palmdale are full-service cities with the area’s gas, food, grocery, and lodging. Hotel listings cluster along the Avenue I-J corridor in west Lancaster, including SpringHill Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, Best Western Plus, and TownePlace Suites.

The nearest hospital with a 24-hour emergency room is Antelope Valley Medical Center on West Avenue J in Lancaster, a Level II trauma center.

For broader family support beyond the institution itself, Friends Outside operates the visitor center at the prison and assists families of incarcerated people statewide.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone at a California state prison:

Visiting in California — CDCR approval process, dress code, scheduling
Mail & Packages — What you can send and what gets rejected
Phone & Video Calls — Call costs, tablets, and video visits
Sending Money — How to add funds to a CDCR trust account
Medical & Mental Health — Healthcare in CDCR facilities
Transfers — What happens during transfers

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.