 Aerial View | |
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| Location | Calipatria, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°09′58″N115°29′10″W / 33.166°N 115.486°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Minimum-maximum |
| Capacity | 2,308 |
| Population | 2,500 (108.3% capacity)(as of January 31, 2023 [1] ) |
| Opened | 1992 |
| Managed by | California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation |
| Warden | Warren Montgomery [2] |
Calipatria State Prison (CAL) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Calipatria, in Imperial County, California.
Although located about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the center of Calipatria, the prison is within the city limits. [3] Called the lowest prison in the Western Hemisphere, it lies 184 feet (56 m) below sea level. As of Fiscal Year 2005/2006, CAL had a total of 1,143 staff and an annual operating budget of $123 million. [4]
The facility covers a total of 1,227.5 acres (496.8 ha) (with the prison on 300 acres (120 ha)). [4] In September 2007, it had a design capacity of 2,308 but a total institution population of 4,180, for an occupancy rate of 181.1 percent. [5]
As of July 31, 2022, CAL was incarcerating people at 110.1% of its design capacity, with 2,543 occupants. [6]
Over 2,000 of its housing units are maximum-security Level IV ("Cells, fenced or walled perimeters, electronic security, more staff and unarmed officers both inside and outside the installation"); the remainder are minimum-security Level I ("Open dormitories without a secure perimeter"). [4] [7]
CAL opened in January 1992, [4] approximately 22 months before California State Prison, Centinela (the other state prison in Imperial County). A $1.5 million electrified fence, which could cause instantaneous death for escaping inmates and which was the first of its kind among California state prisons, was installed in November 1993. [8] [9] After a number of birds had died by electrocution, an ornithologist was hired to help redesign the fence and eliminate the problem. [10]
As of 1995, CAL's problems included "double-celling" (placing two inmates in bunk beds in a cell designed for one), psychological stress, a drastic shortage of work for prisoners, chronic understaffing among prison employees, and gang violence. [10] A May 1995 incident in which five inmates stabbed and assaulted eight officers was described in 1997 as the worst inmate attack on staff in California state prisons in recent years. [9]
The weather in the area is desert-like, cold in winter and very hot in summer—up to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The smell of cow manure pervades the prison and the entire area due to large cattle feed lots nearby.
Angelo Buono, Jr. (also known as the Hillside Strangler) died at CAL in September 2002 of a "massive heart attack." [11]
An August 2005 riot at CAL was the most violent uprising at the prison. [12] The event left 25 inmates and 25 prison staff members wounded. [12] A guard shot and killed an inmate with a Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle, which was believed to have contributed to ending the violence. [12] A spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation stated that the disturbance involved Hispanic gang members." [13]
Angelo Anthony Buono Jr. was an American serial killer, kidnapper and rapist who, together with his adopted cousin Kenneth Bianchi, were known as the Hillside Stranglers. Buono and Bianchi were convicted of killing ten young women in Los Angeles, California, between October 1977 and February 1978.
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California Correctional Center (CCC) was a state prison in the city of Susanville in Northern California. It was a minimum-security facility.
California Correctional Institution (CCI) is a supermax state prison in 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 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, and CSP-LAC. 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.
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California Health Care Facility (CHCF) is a state prison for incarcerated patients with long-term medical needs or acute mental health needs. The prison is located in Stockton, California, on the site of the former Karl Holton Youth Correctional Facility. Incarcerated people of all security levels are treated at the facility.
