54 Prisons in California

The California State Prison System is a system of prisons, fire camps, contract beds, reentry programs, and other special programs administered by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Division of Adult Institutions to incarcerate approximately 117,000 people as of April 2020. CDCR owns and operates 34 prisons throughout the state and operates 1 prison leased from a private company.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) operates or contracts with a variety of facilities in California, including United States Penitentiaries (USPs), Federal Correctional Institutions (FCIs), and Private Correctional Institutions (PCIs). Informally, these would all often be described as federal prisons.

This is a list of state prisons in California operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). CDCR operates 35 adult prisons in California, with a design capacity of 85,083 incarcerated people. CDCR both owns and operates 34 of the state prisons; it additionally operates California City Correctional Facility, a prison leased from CoreCivic.

The 2013 California prisoner hunger Strike started on July 8, 2013 involving over 29,000 inmates in protest of the state's use of solitary confinement practices and ended on September 5, 2013. The hunger strike was organized by inmates in long term solitary in the Security Housing Unit (SHU) at Pelican Bay State Prison in protest of inmates housed there that were in solitary confinement indefinitely for having ties to gangs. Another hunger strike that added to the movement started the week before in High Desert State Prison. The focus of the High Desert State Prison hunger strike was to demand cleaner facilities, better food and better access to the library.

Adelanto Detention Facility is a privately operated immigration detention center in Adelanto, San Bernardino County, California. Owned and operated by the GEO Group, it consists of two separate facilities: East, which was an existing prison purchased in June 2010 from the City of Adelanto with a capacity of about 600 inmates, and the newly built West expansion completed in August 2012 with another 700 beds. After an additional expansion in 2015, the facility's capacity houses up to 1,940 immigrant detainees of all classification levels, with the average stay of 30 days.

The United States Penitentiary, Atwater is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in California. The institution also includes a minimum-security satellite camp. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

Avenal State Prison (ASP) is a male-only state prison in the city of Avenal, Kings County, California, United States.

California City Correctional Facility (CAC) is a secure facility owned by CoreCivic. It is currently staffed and operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a men's level II (low-medium) security prison.

California Correctional Center (CCC) is a state prison in the city of Susanville in Northern California. It is a minimum-security facility.

California Correctional Institution (CCI) is a supermax state prison located in Cummings Valley, west of the city of Tehachapi in southern California. CCI is sometimes referred to as "Tehachapi prison" or "Tehachapi". As stated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, its overall mission is "to incarcerate and control felons, while providing the opportunity for meaningful work, training and other programs. The prison provides programs for those inmates who are willing to work and participate fully in available programs."

California Institution for Men (CIM) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Chino, San Bernardino County, California. It is often colloquially referenced as "Chino". In turn, locals call the prison "Chino Men's" or just "Men's" to avoid confusion with the city itself.

California Medical Facility (CMF) is a male-only state prison medical facility located in the city of Vacaville, Solano County, California. It is older than California State Prison, Solano, the other state prison in Vacaville.

California Men's Colony (CMC) is a male-only state prison located northwest of the city of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California, along the central California coast approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) is a state prison located in Norco, Riverside County, California. The prison is sometimes referenced as "Norco" or "Norco Prison".

California State Prison, Centinela (CEN) is a male-only state prison located in Imperial County, California, approximately 20 miles (32 km) from Imperial and El Centro. The facility is sometimes referenced Centinela State Prison.

California State Prison, Corcoran (COR) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Corcoran, in Kings County, California. It is also known as Corcoran State Prison, CSP-C, CSP-COR, CSP-Corcoran, and Corcoran I. The facility is just north of the newer California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran.

California State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Lancaster, in Los Angeles County, California. The only state prison located in the county, it is also referenced as Los Angeles County State Prison, CSP-Los Angeles County. Only occasionally is the prison referred to as Lancaster State Prison, which was particularly avoided in 1992 partly to ease the stigma for Lancaster.

California State Prison, Sacramento (SAC) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Folsom, in Sacramento County, California. The facility is also referenced as Sacramento State Prison, CSP-Sacramento, CSP-SAC, and occasionally, New Folsom or New Folsom Prison which was its official name prior to October 1992.

California State Prison, Solano (SOL) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Vacaville, Solano County, California, adjacent to the California Medical Facility. The facility is also referenced as Solano State Prison, CSP-Solano, and CSP-SOL.

California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran (SATF) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Corcoran, in Kings County, California specifically designed to house inmates who have substance use disorder. It is sometimes referred to as California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility, and Corcoran II.

Calipatria State Prison (CAL) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Calipatria, in Imperial County, California.

Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP) is a male-only state prison located south of Interstate 10, in a detached section of Blythe, California in Riverside County. CVSP is adjacent to Ironwood State Prison.

Coalinga State Hospital (CSH) is a state mental hospital in Coalinga, California.

Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI) is a state prison located in unincorporated San Joaquin County, California, near Tracy.

Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility is a California state prison located in unincorporated southern San Diego County, California, near San Diego. It is a part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. It is a 780-acre (320 ha) facility. It is the only state prison in San Diego County.

The Federal Correctional Complex, Victorville is a United States federal prison complex located in the Victor Valley of the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, southern California. It is on part of the former George Air Force Base (1941−1992) near Victorville, approximately 85 miles (137 km) northeast of Downtown Los Angeles. Abby Lee Miller served eight months of a 366-day sentence there.

The Federal Correctional Institution, Herlong is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in California, opened in 2007. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also includes a satellite prison camp that houses minimum-security male offenders.

The Federal Correctional Institution, Mendota is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in California. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp housing minimum-security male offenders.

The Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in California. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

The Federal Correctional Institution, Victorville is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Victorville, California. Part of the Victorville Federal Prison Complex, it is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. There is an adjacent satellite prison camp for low-security female inmates. The complex is located on land that was formerly part of George Air Force Base, a Superfund site which has contaminated the region's water supply with industrial solvents like trichlorethylene, and pesticides like dieldrin and aldrin, and chemicals from jet fuel.

Folsom State Prison (FSP) is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, U.S., approximately 20 mi (30 km) northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility was in essence a prison for youth located on Whittier Boulevard, in Whittier, California. Operated by the California Youth Authority, now part of California Department of Corrections, it once quartered young people incarcerated for law-breaking until it was closed by the state of CA in June 2004. Open for 113 years, it had been the oldest juvenile facility in the state, and became registered as California Historical Landmark #947. It was closed because of the reduction in the number of juveniles being housed.

High Desert State Prison (HDSP) is a high-security state prison that houses level IV inmates located in Leavitt, Lassen County, California. Opened in 1995, it has a capacity of 2,324 persons.

Incarceration in California spans federal, state, county, and city governance, with approximately 200,000 people in confinement at any given time. An additional 55,000 people are on parole.

James A. Musick Facility is a minimum-security correctional center in south Orange County, California. The prison is on an unincorporated pocket of land, surrounded by the city of Irvine on three sides and bordered by Lake Forest's Bake Parkway to the southeast. Despite being on unincorporated land, the prison is listed as being in Irvine. The 1,250-bed facility houses inmates charged with lower-level offenses such as intoxicated driving and drug possession. The prison is named in honor of James A. Musick, the Sheriff of Orange County from 1946 to 1974. A small portion of the center's resources are dedicated to illegal immigration detainees, however, that usage is being phased out.

Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) is a male-only state prison in Delano, California. Kern Valley is a Level IV Maximum Security institution, opened in June 2005 with a design capacity of 2,448 incarcerated people. The facility is adjacent to North Kern State Prison and has an annual operating budget of US$123 million.

The Federal Correctional Complex, Lompoc is a United States federal prison complex for male inmates in California. It is run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice, and consists of two facilities:Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc : a low-security facility. United States Penitentiary, Lompoc : a medium-security facility with an adjacent satellite prison camp for minimum-security inmates.

The Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in California. It is part of the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

The Metropolitan Correctional Center, San Diego is a United States federal administrative detention facility in California which holds male and female prisoners of all security levels. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

The Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles is a United States federal prison in downtown Los Angeles, California which holds male and female inmates prior to and during court proceedings, as well an inmates serving short sentences. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP) is a California State Prison for men. It was opened in June 1987 and covers 866 acres (350 ha) located in Ione, California. The prison has a staff of 1,242 and an annual operating budget of $157 million.

North Kern State Prison (NKSP) is a medium-security prison located in Delano, Kern County, California. Opened in April 1993, this state prison has a design capacity of 2,694 incarcerated people. North Kern serves as a reception center for incoming inmates. Inmates usually serve two to three months at North Kern while staff processes their criminal and health records and assesses their physiological and social needs before assigning them to another prison. While at North Kern, inmates have opportunities to engage in educational programs. With North Kern State Prison and Kern Valley State Prison, which is located one mile away and houses approximately 3,500 inmates, Kern County has one of the largest prison populations of any county in America.

Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) is the only supermax facility in the state of California. This prison is located in Del Norte County, California. The prison takes its name from a shallow bay on the Pacific coast, about 2 mi (3.2 km) to the west. The prison lies in a detached section of Crescent City, several miles north of the main urban area and just south of the Oregon border. PBSP's primary purpose is to house violent male prisoners from the California state prison system; 40% of Pelican State's inmates are serving life sentences and nearly all have histories of violence at other California prisons which resulted in their transfer to Pelican Bay. The sole exception are the institution's minimum security inmates, who work as part of the prison's outside maintenance and firefighter programs.

Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center, also known as Pitchess Detention Center or simply Pitchess, is an all-male county detention center and correctional facility named in honor of Peter J. Pitchess located directly east of exit 173 off of Interstate 5 in the unincorporated community of Castaic in Los Angeles County, California.

Pleasant Valley State Prison (PVSP) is a 640-acre (260 ha) minimum-to-maximum security state prison in Coalinga, Fresno County, California. The facility has housed convicted murderers Sirhan Sirhan, Erik Menendez, X-Raided, and Hans Reiser, among others.

Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) is a 300-acre (120 ha) California state prison located 5 miles (8 km) north of Soledad, in Monterey County, California, adjacent to the Correctional Training Facility.

San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County.

Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) is a 420-acre (170 ha) state prison located in Tuolumne County, California, near the unincorporated community of Jamestown. Programs offered to prisoners include education, firefighting training, and sewing.

Taft Correctional Institution is a low-security federal prison for male inmates located in Taft, Kern County, California, owned by the BOP and operated by Management and Training Corporation under contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It also includes a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male inmates.

The Twin Towers Correctional Facility, also referred to in the media as Twin Towers Jail, is a complex in Los Angeles, California. The facility is located at 450 Bauchet Street, in Los Angeles, California and is operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The facility consists of two towers, a medical services building, and the Los Angeles County Medical Center Jail Ward.

The United States Penitentiary, Lompoc is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in California. It is part of the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male inmates. It was formerly a military disciplinary barracks on Camp Cooke.

The United States Penitentiary, Victorville, CA is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in California. It is part of the Victorville Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

Wasco State Prison-Reception Center (WSP) is a 634-acre (257 ha) state prison located in Wasco, Kern County, California.

West County Detention Center is a large coeducational adult medium security Contra Costa County jail in Richmond, California opened in 1991.