Incarceration in California

Last updated
All federal, state, and county incarceration facilities in California. Map of all federal, state, and county incarceration facilities in California.png
All federal, state, and county incarceration facilities in California.

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.

Contents

The main government agencies and incarceration facilities involved in each jurisdiction are:

Most people incarcerated in county and city jails are in pre-trial detention and have therefore not been convicted of a crime.

Federal incarceration


Federal prisons

FCI Dublin, one of five federal prisons for women in the United States Aerial view of the front of Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin.jpg
FCI Dublin, one of five federal prisons for women in the United States

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) operates a variety of facilities in California, including United States Penitentiaries (USPs), Federal Correctional Institutions (FCIs), and Private Correctional Institutions (PCIs). One BOP facility, Taft Correctional Institution, is operated by Management and Training Corporation (MCT), a private company.

As of April 2020, 13,315 people were under custody in BOP facilities in California. An additional 422 people were under BOP custody in privately run facilities in California, and an unspecified number of people were under BOP custody in community-based facilities in California. Roughly 8% of the people in BOP custody are in California. [1]

ICE detention centers

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contracts with various private companies to detain people in California. The largest ICE detention facilities in California are:

Per a Congressional mandate that first appeared in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2010, ICE must maintain at least 34,000 detention beds in total across the country. ICE detention facilities in California contribute 3,515 mandatory beds to that mandate. As of August 22, 2020, ICE facilities in California had an average daily population of 3,118. [2]

State incarceration


State prisons

Aerial view of San Quentin, including the housing units, yard, education center, and Prison Industry Authority facilities Aerial view of San Quentin State Prison.jpg
Aerial view of San Quentin, including the housing units, yard, education center, and Prison Industry Authority facilities

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) operates 35 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 state's prison medical care system has been in receivership since 2006, when a federal court ruled in Plata v. Brown that the state failed to provide a constitutional level of medical care to its prisoners. Since 2009, the state has been under court order to reduce prison overcrowding to no higher than 137.5% of total design capacity.

Fire camps

Incarcerated firefighters fight the Rim Fire in California in 2013 Rim Fire 20130817-FS-UNK-0040 (9665093532).jpg
Incarcerated firefighters fight the Rim Fire in California in 2013

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) runs 44 conservation camps (also known as fire camps) jointly with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The conservation camp program mission is to "support state, local and federal government agencies as they respond to emergencies such as fires, floods, and other natural or manmade disasters." Over 3,000 incarcerated people work at the conservation camps each year, including men, women, and juveniles. They receive the same entry-level training as CAL FIRE's seasonal firefighters. [3]

CAL FIRE reported 3,500 incarcerated firefighters in its 2018-2019 staffing numbers, making incarcerated firefighters approximately 27% of the total firefighting capacity of the state. [4]

Juvenile detention facilities

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) (formerly known as the California Youth Authority (CYA)) manages youth incarceration. DJJ incarcerates youths from ages 12 – 25; youths tried as adult and committed to the Division of Adult Institutions may be transferred to an adult prison once they turn 18. [5]

DJJ owns and operates 3 prisons and 1 youth fire camp, with a total design capacity of roughly 750 incarcerated people. Those facilities are:

Other facilities

In addition to running prisons and camps, CDCR runs or contracts with private companies to run a variety of smaller-scale community incarceration facilities:

County incarceration


Aerial view of Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County Aerial view of Santa Rita Jail.jpg
Aerial view of Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County

The California Board of State and Community Corrections tracks 116 county jails across California's 58 counties, with a total design capacity of 78,243 incarcerated people.

California's county jails function like county jails throughout the United States: they are used to incarcerated people pre-trial, through a trial and sentencing, and for some sentences of commitment. The majority of people incarcerated in California's county jails have not been sentenced (they are pre-trial and have not been convicted of a crime). Most county jails are run by the county sheriff; occasionally they are run by a county-level department of corrections.

Historically, time would be served in a county jail for sentences of less than a year, including sentences for misdemeanors and some felonies. In 2011, California's Public Safety Realignment Act was signed into law in response to the Supreme Court case Brown v. Plata and the resulting court order to address prison overcrowding in the state. Realignment "shifted responsibility for all sentenced non-violent, non-serious, non-sex offenders from state to local jurisdictions", [11] which decreased California prison populations, increased California county jail populations, and changed the types and distribution of crimes for which people were serving sentences in county jails.

City incarceration

Some cities run their own jails for incarcerating people in pre-trial detention, typically overseen by the city police department. Many city jails additionally have a "pay to stay" program as an alternative to incarceration in a county jail. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Men's Colony</span> American male-only state prison

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth detention center</span> Type of prison for people under the age of majority

In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC), juvenile detention, juvenile jail, juvenile hall, or more colloquially as juvie/juvy or the Juvey Joint, also sometimes referred to as observation home or remand home is a prison for people under the age of majority, to which they have been sentenced and committed for a period of time, or detained on a short-term basis while awaiting trial or placement in a long-term care program. Juveniles go through a separate court system, the juvenile court, which sentences or commits juveniles to a certain program or facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation</span> Law enforcement agency in California, US

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the penal law enforcement agency of the government of California responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. Its headquarters are in Sacramento.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Division of Juvenile Justice</span> Law enforcement agency in California, USA

The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), was a division of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that provided education, training, and treatment services for California's most serious youth offenders, until its closure in 2023. These youths were committed by the juvenile and criminal courts to DJJ's eleven correctional facilities, four conservation camps and two residential drug treatment programs. The DJJ provided services to juvenile offenders, ranging in age from twelve to 25, in facilities and on parole, and worked closely with law enforcement, the courts, district attorneys, public defenders, probation offices and other public and private agencies involved with the problems of youth. The DJJ underwent reorganization as required by a court agreement and the California State Legislature after widespread criticisms of conditions at its youth prisons. The agency's headquarters were in Sacramento, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Institution for Men</span> State prison in Chino, California

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avenal State Prison</span> Male-only state prison in the city of Avenal, Kings County, California, United States

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GEO Group</span> American institutional facilities company

The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) is a publicly traded C corporation that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the company's facilities include immigration detention centers, minimum security detention centers, and mental-health and residential-treatment facilities. It also operates government-owned facilities pursuant to management contracts. As of December 31, 2021, the company managed and/or owned 86,000 beds at 106 facilities. In 2019, agencies of the federal government of the United States generated 53% of the company's revenues. Up until 2021 the company was designated as a real estate investment trust, at which time the board of directors elected to reclassify as a C corporation under the stated goal of reducing the company's debt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Prison, Centinela</span> Male-only state prison in Imperial County, California, US

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.

In Canada, the criminal legal system is divided into federal and provincial/territorial jurisdictions. Provincial/territorial correctional facilities hold people who have been sentenced to less than two years in custody and people being held on remand. Federal Correctional Facilities, which are the responsibility of Correctional Service of Canada—is concerned with people who have been sentenced to two years or more in custody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Correctional Center</span> State prison in Susanville, California

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Prison, Sacramento</span> Male-only state prison in Folsom, Sacramento County, California

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prisons in California</span>

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.

Correctional Training Facility (CTF), commonly referenced as Soledad State Prison, is a state prison located on U.S. Route 101, 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Soledad, California, adjacent to Salinas Valley State Prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility</span> Prison near San Diego, California

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasco State Prison</span> American prison in California

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Health Care Facility</span> State prison in Stockton, California

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Conservation Camp Program</span> California inmate disaster response program

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) runs 44 conservation camps jointly with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The mission of the Conservation Camp program is to "support state, local and federal government agencies as they respond to emergencies such as fires, floods, and other natural or manmade disasters." Over 3,000 incarcerated people work at the conservation camps each year, including men, women, and juveniles, all of whom have volunteered for the program. All volunteers receive the same entry-level training as CAL FIRE's seasonal firefighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities in California</span>

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.

References

  1. BOP (2020-04-01). "BOP: Population Statistics". BOP. Archived from the original on 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2020-04-11. Alt URL
  2. "ICE detention statistics for fiscal year 2020 as of August 22, 2020". Immigration and Customs Enforcement. August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "Conservation (Fire) Camps". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  4. CAL FIRE (September 2018). "CAL FIRE at a Glance" (PDF). CAL FIRE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  5. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 2020-08-23. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  6. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "Community Correctional Facilities". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  7. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "Community Prisoner Mother Program". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  8. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "Alternative Custody Program". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  9. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "Custody to Community Transitional Reentry Program". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  10. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "Male Community Reentry Program". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  11. Board of State and Community Corrections. "Realignment". Board of State and Community Corrections. Archived from the original on 2020-04-19.
  12. Michael S. Carona, Sheriff of Orange County, California (2007). "Pay-To-Stay Programs in California Jails". Michigan Law Review First Impressions. Archived from the original on 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2020-08-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)