what can an inmate expect upon arrival at his designated institution?
Upon arrival, the inmate will begin an orientation period during which he will attend an initial classification hearing to determine the appropriate housing and programming needs for that particular inmate. there may be a waiting period until an inmate can begin school or be assigned to a job.
can I receive calls from inmates?
Yes, inmates not housed in the Administrative Segregation Unit may make phone calls, depending on their privilege group. inmates at the reception center receive a phone call within the first week and every month thereafter as part of the reception process. these calls will be made collect to the account that the family enables and are monitored by the institution.
To set up an account to receive collect calls, follow this link: Global Tel*Link Prepaid Account (gtl). in addition, inmate phones will be able to make collect calls to cell phones.
can an inmate receive mail?
inmate mail is addressed in article 4 of the california code of regulations (ccr) and chapter 5, article 41, of the department’s operations manual.
The inmate may receive the following first class mail at the institution:
- photographs (not polaroid)
- calendars
- postage embossed envelopes, maximum forty
- blank envelopes
- written paper/tablets (only white or yellow lines, not cotton paper)
- writing paper (not cotton paper)
- legal paper
- children’s drawings
- forty postage stamps (personalized postage stamps will not be accepted)
can I send books to an inmate?
ccr title 15 section 3134.1 covers the mailing of books. books must be paperback and shipped from a department-approved book dealer, bookstore, or publisher. additional information can be found in dom, chapter 5, section 54010.8. books must be shipped directly from a book dealer.
books are considered special purchases. contact the institution for information on local procedures regarding special purchases.
Inmates may only have 10 books in their possession. when they receive new books, they must return the old ones. these old books must be donated or sent home at the inmate’s expense. most inmates donate their books to the library, etc.
Most families use Barnes and Noble or one of the other department-approved providers. A department-approved vendor is any mail-order publisher, bookstore, or book distributor. Please note that Amazon is now a department-approved supplier of books. if you are sent a book from a university or some other non-traditional book dealer, check with the prison first.
When you ship a box of books from a distributor, it arrives in the mail room. The mail room staff sorts all the different packages and sends them to the various departments. the books go to r&r and are recorded there. they go through r&r because the books are considered ‘personal property’. the intern will receive a ‘ducat’ to go to r&r, where he can pick up the books and redeem his old ones. this process may take some time. whenever mail is backed up, r&r tends to have a backup as well. this is especially true during holidays, lockdowns, etc.
can an inmate have personal property?
All inmates may have personal property as long as they meet the requirement of having no more than six cubic feet of property. The type and amount of personal property an inmate may have is covered in the California Code of Regulations, Article 9, beginning with Section 3190. Personal property is further identified in the Department’s Operations Manual, Chapter 5. , article 43 page 120. this article is divided into prison missions, reception center (section 54030.17), levels i, ii, iii, conservation camps for men and community correctional facilities (section 54030.18), levels iii/iv (section 54030.19), female offenders program (section 54030.21), and high security and transitional housing (section 54030.20). If you have questions about the permissible property of inmates in an institution, see the Sun.
Property includes, but is not limited to, items such as personal clothing, hygiene/personal care items, food, games, jewelry, appliances, or books.
Inmates are required, at the request of institution staff, to properly account for all personal property recorded in their name and number. If an inmate fails to account for personal property registered to her name and number, or is in possession of property that is not registered to her name, he/she may receive disciplinary action. in addition, any property not listed on the inmate property receipt is considered contraband and is subject to confiscation.
Personal property that does not meet the criteria of section 3190 of the California Code of Regulations, will be disposed of by mailing the property to a person willing to accept the property (if the inmate has sufficient funds in his or her trust account ), returning the item to the sender if the inmate has sufficient funds in his or her trust account, donating the property/items to a prison or prison-designated charity, or disposing of the property/items in accordance with prison procedures.
When property is considered contraband, it will be held by staff until all court, investigative, or disciplinary requirements are completed, and then disposed of in accordance with jail procedures.
can I send a package to an inmate?
Receiving packages of personal property is an inmate’s privilege. see the privilege table for more information. an inmate may receive packages of personal property, weighing a maximum of 30 pounds each, per year; exclusive of special purchases and based on your privilege group, from approved suppliers. inmates can review prison provider catalogs and inform family of their requests. the list of approved vendors can be found on our website at: /visitors/approved_vendors.html staff delivery of packages and special purchases will be completed as soon as possible, but no later than 15 calendar days, except during holiday seasons such as Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving, and during lockdowns for affected inmates. (California Code of Regulations Section 3134.1)
Inmates may make special purchases of authorized personal property items from locally approved special purchase vendors. individuals cannot ship packages directly, the package must be shipped by an approved carrier. Special purchases may include health care devices prescribed by prison health care staff, legal reference material, legal books and pads not available in the institution dining room, correspondence courses (subject to approval of a supervisor of correctional education programs and designated custodial staff), religious articles (subject to approval of the institutional chaplain and designated custodial staff), entertainment devices and musical instruments (depending on privilege group and /or the level of security/mission of the institution). (California Code of Regulations Section 3190)
Inmates in privileged group d or in administrative segregation or security housing are eligible for a personal property package after completing one year of privileged group d assignment. (California Code of Regulations Article 3.5, Section 3044)
can I send money to an inmate?
yes. visit the visitors page for instructions and information.
Does the inmate have a right to legal services?
If an inmate is in legal trouble, they have the right to write letters to the court and file any necessary paperwork. Any letter sent to or received from the court or an attorney is considered legal mail and may not be opened without the inmate’s permission.
is a law library provided for inmate use?
each cdcr establishment has a legal library for use by the inmate population. The law library has law books and other materials that may be helpful in preparing legal documents. for example, you can find the forms needed to make certain court requests such as a “writ of habeas corpus.”
can an inmate have documents notarized?
all cdcr facilities have the means to provide the inmate with a notarial service. the notary service charges an administrative fee and the funds will be deducted from the inmate’s trust account. If the inmate has possession of the documents, he may submit a request to his counselor to schedule an appointment with the notary.
what if I have forms that need to be notarized?
To notarize documents in your possession, contact the litigation coordinator at the specific institution where the inmate is housed. Attached is a link to the phone numbers for the litigation coordinator.
Does the inmate have a right to religious services?
Yes, the inmate’s attendance at the religious program will be voluntary. Institution directors will make every reasonable effort to provide religious and spiritual welfare to inmates with a reasonable accommodation to attend a scheduled religious service. depending on the number of inmates of various faiths, chaplains may be hired or their services may be accepted as unpaid volunteers. Reasonable time and accommodations will be allowed for religious services consistent with the security of the facility and other necessary institutional operations and activities. Religious programs will include activities that will encourage inmate participation and may include the following:
- regular and special religious services
- special religious celebrations of the faith group
- religious education
- national memorial services
- interfaith services
- meditation services
- distribution of religious literature
- involvement of outside religious groups
- religious self-study courses
- speaking forums
- service projects
- religious interest groups
- religious societies and organizations
- participation in programs of community improvement
Religious artifacts are those items worn by American Indians on religious/ceremonial occasions and include their colors and tribal totems. These items may include: chokers, eagle feathers, headbands, wristbands, and/or medication bags. These religious artifacts should not be confused with items used strictly for ornamental purposes.
If you have questions about religious services or artifacts, please contact the institution’s Community Associations Manager. attached is a link to the phone numbers of community association administrators.
can inmates participate in a religious diet program?
yes, any inmate claiming to require a religious diet will be responsible for completing a cdcr 3030-a, religious diet request form and submitting it to the appropriate institution chaplain. The Chaplain will interview the inmate to explain the two religious diet options (including what the meals consist of) and determine the inmate’s religious diet program eligibility. there are two different religious diet options: 1) vegetarian and 2) kosher Jewish. medical diets will take precedence over religious diets.
what if an inmate has concerns about security or the enemy?
As soon as an inmate becomes aware of a potential security problem, they should alert staff. any inmate whom staff believe is likely to do serious harm to another if given the opportunity may be considered an enemy. there may be confidential and/or known enemies listed in the inmate’s file that may affect where an individual is placed. these listings should contain detailed supporting documentation elsewhere in your central file. each enemy list is reviewed, updated, and considered in the transfer, location, and case management of each individual. Any information about an inmate/parolee that is or may be critical to the safety of persons inside or outside an institution will be documented (ccr 3378, dom 61020.3, 61020.3.4).
How does an inmate file a grievance?
if an inmate has a problem regarding a condition, decision, action, policy, rule, or practice within cdcr and can show that it has an adverse effect on his well-being, he may file an appeal. cdcr encourages the inmate to try to resolve problems at the lowest level possible by contacting the appropriate staff. sometimes more than not the problem can be solved at this informal level. however, if this does not work, the inmate may proceed with a formal appeal. The appeals system was created to resolve inmate concerns in a timely manner, therefore the appeal must be filed in a timely manner and the timelines for appeals are outlined in Title 15, Section 3481.
How do I file a complaint against an inmate’s staff member?
you can’t do this. The inmate is to use the staff grievance procedure as outlined in Title 15, Section 3484. Again, encouraging the inmate to do so encourages responsibility and accountability.
How do I make a complaint against a staff member for an action taken against me?
If the problem relates to something that happened directly to you and rises to the level of possible staff misconduct, you can file a citizen complaint form stating your concerns. You can mail the complaint to the prison director or directly to the associate director of the mission to which the prison belongs.
How do I file a grievance for an inmate?
The inmate is responsible for presenting his grievance through communication with staff first and if the issue remains unresolved, the inmate may file an appeal at the formal level. Placing this responsibility on the inmate fosters communication, develops rapport with staff, and encourages responsibility.
If you have concerns regarding something that is negatively affecting the inmate, please encourage them to address it at the facility level. it is generally easier for the inmate to obtain information and follow the process than it is for a member of the public. have the inmate send you copies of all documentation related to the problem so you have all the facts. monitor the issue but allow time for the process to work (note: if an inmate/parole 602 appeal is in process and has not been answered through the third level of review, you should continue to wait until the process is complete) at that moment. time, if you believe additional attention is needed, you may contact the facility directly in writing, as written documentation provides a chronological summary of the problem and is important when showing previous attempts to resolve the concern. done to solve the problem.
If all attempts to resolve the issue locally have been exhausted, you may write (recommended) or call (should be in emergent situations only) the next level/Associate Director at that specific institution. Mailing Address (note specific mission): California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, Division of Adult Institutions, 1515 “S” Street, Sacramento, CA 95811. ______________________________________________________________________
mission contact information
parole region contacts
see regional parole units and headquarters