Level II (general population with SNY placement) · State Prison · CDCR

Valley State Prison

Chowchilla, Madera County, California

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (559) 665-6100 ext. 5708 Info last verified: June 2026

A men's Level II reentry-hub prison in Chowchilla — formerly Valley State Prison for Women, and across the road from the women's facility CCWF.

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

Valley State Prison opened in 1995 as Valley State Prison for Women. CDCR converted it to a men’s institution after the 2011 Realignment law reduced the female population, completing the conversion in January 2013 — a history that still causes confusion, because the name barely changed. Today it is a Level II general-population institution that also houses men needing Sensitive Needs Yard placement and Enhanced Outpatient (EOP) mental health care.

CDCR designates VSP as a reentry hub, with substance use disorder treatment and cognitive behavioral programming, and its education department serves roughly 2,400 students — associate degrees through three community colleges and a bachelor’s program through Fresno State.

What Makes Valley State Prison Different

The name trap: it was a women’s prison until January 2013, and it faces the state’s largest women’s prison across the road. Confirming the institution through CIRIS before traveling prevents arriving at the wrong gate.
It is a designated reentry hub, with Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment and cognitive behavioral programs as a core mission.
Education runs at unusual scale: WASC-accredited adult school, community college degrees, a Fresno State bachelor’s program, and vocational shops from welding to HVAC.
Distinctive programs CDCR highlights include a veterans service-dog training program and a Braille transcription operation that produces books for a school for the blind.
Prison Industry Authority operations on site include eyewear manufacturing, a farm, and laundry services.

Visiting Hours and Procedures

CDCR posts VSP’s hours, scheduling windows, and family-visit processing schedule on the facility’s visiting status page.

Family (overnight) visits operate in six units, with processing in on Tuesdays (out Thursday) and Fridays (out Monday); processing in starts at 9:00 a.m. The facility also runs an in-person picnic program for positive programming, initiated by the incarcerated person through the visiting center.

A Friends Outside trailer at the institution assists in-person visitors. Statewide rules, dress code, and the approval process are covered in Visiting in California.

Getting There and Parking

VSP is on Avenue 24 outside Chowchilla, just off the CA-99 corridor through the Central Valley.

CDCR does not publish VSP-specific parking details online. CDCR directs visitors to check Caltrans QuickMap for road conditions; Central Valley fog is a seasonal factor on CA-99.

There is no public transit to the prison. The nearest Amtrak stations on the Gold Runner line (formerly the San Joaquins) are Madera and Merced — the timetable shows no Chowchilla stop — and Friends Outside lists passenger-van transportation between the institution and local public transportation terminals through its visitor center.

Nearby Services

Chowchilla is a small town; services cluster along the CA-99 corridor. Hotel sites list chain properties in Chowchilla, including Days Inn by Wyndham on East Robertson Boulevard, SureStay Hotel by Best Western, and Holiday Inn Express & Suites. Broader food, grocery, and lodging options are in Madera and Fresno.

The nearest hospital is Madera Community Hospital in Madera, which reopened in March 2025 with a 22-bay emergency department after a closure that began in late 2022; state facility records list it as open as of June 2026. Full-service hospitals are in Fresno.

For broader family support beyond the institution itself, Friends Outside is a California nonprofit, operating since 1955, that assists families of incarcerated people; its visitor center at VSP offers childcare, clothing loans, and local information.

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.