California directory
California jails and prisons
Find the county jail, state prison or other correctional facility connected to the person you are trying to help.
Not sure where to start? A recent arrest usually begins with the county of arrest. A state-prison sentence uses the CDCR system.
Start here
Use the system named on the paperwork
How many state prisons does California operate?
30 adult correctional institutions in the approved CDCR 2026 institution count. Jail411 lists 32 current state-prison records. The official count and directory inventory are separate measures.
County jail or state prison?
A recent arrest usually starts in a county system. A person serving a California state-prison sentence uses CDCR. Search the county of arrest first unless the paperwork identifies CDCR custody.
Does California still operate DJJ youth prisons?
No. CDCR ended the former statewide DJJ youth-custody system on June 30, 2023. Counties now control the current juvenile custody route. Former CYA/DJJ facilities remain searchable as historical identities.
Official CDCR transition notice →Who handles supervision?
CDCR handles state parole. California’s 58 county probation departments handle probation and related county supervision. Do not infer an assigned office from the nearest address.
Find the right office
Who handles each kind of record
Use the county, facility or agency named on the person’s paperwork. These links cannot confirm where a specific person is held.
The sheriff or local corrections agency for the county of arrest
Use the county custody search or booking information route.
Open the verified route →California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Use the CDCR Incarcerated Records and Information Search.
Open the verified route →Federal Bureau of Prisons
Use the BOP inmate locator for BOP custody.
Open the verified route →U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System when immigration custody is possible.
Open the verified route →CDCR Division of Adult Parole Operations
Use the official parole-office route; do not infer an assigned office.
Open the verified route →The county probation department
Contact county probation; do not infer the person’s assigned officer or office.
Open the verified route →County probation and juvenile court
Contact the responsible county; California does not operate the former statewide DJJ youth-custody system.
Open the verified route →California counties
Choose the county on the record
County jails, local courts and probation departments are organized by county. Start with the county named in the arrest, booking, court or release record.
Facility types
Browse by custody system
County jails, state prisons, federal facilities and immigration detention use different locators and rules.
Family guides
Visits, calls, mail and money
Open the task you need, then confirm the specific facility before paying, mailing anything or traveling.
If someone was just arrested1 routes
Finding someone
CDCR's public search covers people in CDCR custody. A disclaimer must be accepted before searching, and CDCR states the tool is informational rather than an official record. County jail populations are held separately.
CIRIS — California Incarcerated Records and Information Search ↗Staying in touch3 routes
Phone calls
You cannot call in. CDCR states that it is up to the incarcerated person to initiate the call, and that calls are limited to 15 minutes. That single fact explains most of what families find confusing: the switchboard will not connect you, there is no voicemail, and a call arriving from an unfamiliar number is normal. What you can do from the outside is make sure the call can reach you — that your number is not blocked by your carrier, that it is not a VoIP or virtual number the system will refuse, and that whatever account arrangement the facility uses is set up and funded before he tries. For anything urgent, a message goes through the institution rather than the phone system.
Phone calls from a California state prison ↗Sending money
Before anything else you need the person's CDCR number, from California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS), and their current location from CDCR's facility locator. CDCR then lists three routes. Electronic funds transfer through one of its vendors: GTL/ConnectNetwork, JPay, or Access Corrections. A lock box deposit, which CDCR states carries no fee when sent by money order, personal check or cashier's check: complete the Money Order Deposit Form with the sender's name and address, make the payment payable to JPay, and mail it to JPay, 2202 South Figueroa St, Box #3001, Los Angeles, CA 90007. CDCR caps this at $999.99 per money order, holds personal checks for ten business days, and warns that any letter or note enclosed with a payment will be discarded. Or send a check or money order to the institution itself. Vendor fees vary by amount and method, so check the vendor's own figure before you send.
Sending money to someone in a California state prison ↗Mail and photos
Anyone may write to a person in a California state prison. Incoming letters are opened and inspected for contraband, then forwarded. CDCR asks that the envelope carry the person's full committed name and CDC number, the institution name, the P.O. box and housing assignment where known (CDCR states housing is preferable), and the city, CA and ZIP. The housing assignment is the part most people do not have: get it, and the CDCR number, from California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS), from the institution's Public Information Officer, or from CDCR's Identification Unit. Note that the address mail goes to is not always the institution's street address, so confirm it before posting anything you cannot replace.
Writing to someone in a California state prison ↗Coming home1 routes
Parole and probation
California state parole supervision is administered by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO). DAPO divides California into Northern and Southern regions, with regional headquarters in Sacramento and Diamond Bar. Your initial parole placement and reporting instructions are generally established before release. As part of release planning, CDCR uses the Release Program Study (CDCR Form 611) to document information including proposed residence plans, supervision determination and reporting instructions. California Penal Code section 3003 generally provides that a person released on parole returns to the County of Last Legal Residence, although exceptions and approved transfers can apply. This is one reason the parole office nearest your home may not be the office to which you are assigned. Reporting after release is time-sensitive. Follow the date, location and instructions provided by CDCR and your assigned parole agent rather than assuming that the closest office listed on this page is your reporting location. Certain supervision classifications have additional or more restrictive initial-reporting requirements. If circumstances interfere with your ability to report as instructed, contact your assigned parole office or parole agent as soon as possible. If you cannot reach the assigned office, contact another CDCR parole office for assistance rather than simply missing the required report. Parole can also include restrictions involving travel, residence, contact with law enforcement and movement outside California. The specific conditions that apply to you are contained in your parole documents and instructions from your parole agent. Do not rely on this directory to determine whether a particular trip, move or activity is permitted. General information only, not legal advice. Parole conditions and reporting requirements can vary by person and can change. Follow your written parole conditions and instructions from CDCR or your assigned parole agent.
Problems at a state prison
Move up one level at a time
Write down who you contacted and when. The next office may ask which earlier route you already tried.
- 01
The institution
Start with the prison holding the person. Ask for the watch commander when the main number cannot resolve the question.
Find the institution - 02
Family liaison
A published CDCR Family Liaison Service Specialist can follow a visit, phone or communication problem inside the institution.
17 institutions publish a named liaison - 03
Inmate Family Council
The standing institution-level council puts recurring family concerns in front of prison leadership.
31 institutions publish a council route - 04
Office of the Ombuds
The statewide CDCR route for a problem the institution has not resolved.
Open the CDCR office ↗
More help
California family guides
Current facility directory
Search by facility, city or county
Search Jail411’s current California records. A facility record identifies a location; it does not confirm that a particular person is held there now.
County and city jailsLocal custody, booking and pretrial detention.135 records
State prisonsCDCR institutions and prison-type sites.32 records
Federal facilitiesBOP and other federal correctional records.25 records
| Facility | City | County |
|---|---|---|
| Ci Taft | Taft | Kern |
| El Centro Service Processing Center | El Centro | Imperial |
| FCC Lompoc | Lompoc | Santa Barbara |
| FCC Victorville | Victorville | San Bernardino |
| FCI Dublin | Dublin | Alameda |
| FCI Herlong | Herlong | Lassen |
| FCI Lompoc | Lompoc | Santa Barbara |
| FCI Lompoc I | Lompoc | Santa Barbara |
| FCI Lompoc II | Lompoc | Santa Barbara |
| FCI Mendota | Mendota | Fresno |
| FCI Terminal Island | San Pedro | Los Angeles |
| FCI Victorville Medium I | Victorville | San Bernardino |
| FCI Victorville Medium II | Victorville | San Bernardino |
| Herlong FCI | Herlong | Lassen |
| MCC San Diego | San Diego | San Diego |
| MDC Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Los Angeles |
| Mira Loma Detention Center | Lancaster | Los Angeles |
| Ro Western | Stockton | San Joaquin |
| Rrm Long Beach | San Pedro | Los Angeles |
| Rrm Sacramento | Sacramento | Sacramento |
| USP Atwater | Atwater | Merced |
| USP Lompoc | Lompoc | Santa Barbara |
| USP Lompoc North Camp | Lompoc | Santa Barbara |
| USP Victorville | Victorville | San Bernardino |
| Western Region Detention Facility | San Diego | San Diego |
Juvenile justice facilitiesCounty-run youth custody records; former CYA/DJJ institutions stay historical.77 records
Community corrections and reentryResidential reentry, work release and supervised housing.6 records
| Facility | City | County |
|---|---|---|
| Baker Community Correctional Facility | Baker | San Bernardino |
| Delano Modified Community Correctional Facility | Delano | Kern |
| Leo Chesney Community Correctional Facility | Live Oak | Sutter |
| Sacramento County Work Release | Sacramento | Sacramento |
| Shafter Modified Community Correctional Facility | Shafter | Kern |
| Taft Modified Community Correctional Facility | Taft | Kern |
ICE detentionImmigration detention records and locator route.8 records
| Facility | City | County |
|---|---|---|
| Adelanto ICE Processing Center | Adelanto | San Bernardino |
| California City Detention Facility | California City | Kern |
| Central Valley Annex | McFarland | Kern |
| Desert View Annex | Adelanto | San Bernardino |
| Golden State Annex | McFarland | Kern |
| Imperial Regional Detention Facility | Calexico | Imperial |
| Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center | Bakersfield | Kern |
| Otay Mesa Detention Center | San Diego | San Diego |
Other records
Courts, parole and probation
Historical records
Closed and former facilities
Nobody is held at a facility marked closed. These pages remain searchable so an old name can lead to the current responsible agency. Browse historical records.
Browse 55 closed California records
- California Rehabilitation Center (CRC)NorcoJuly 2026
CDCR closed CRC visiting on 20 July 2026 because of the prison closure and reported that all incarcerated people had been transferred to other facilities.
- CHUCKAWALLA VALLEY STATE PRISON (CVSP)BlytheNovember 2024
CDCR closed Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Blythe. Closure was announced for March 2025 and the institution stood down early, in late 2024.
- FCI DUBLINDublinApril 2024
The Bureau of Prisons closed FCI Dublin on 15 April 2024, and the permanent closure was announced on 5 December 2024. The Bureau of Prisons current facility list carries no Dublin entry.
- FCI DUBLIN CAMPDublinApril 2024
FCI Dublin Camp was the satellite camp at the FCI Dublin complex, which the Bureau of Prisons closed on 15 April 2024. The Bureau of Prisons current facility list carries no Dublin entry.
- CALIFORNIA CORRECTIONAL CENTER (CCC)SusanvilleJune 2023
CDCR closed California Correctional Center in Susanville by 30 June 2023, after a legal challenge by the city delayed the closure.
- N.A. CHADERJIAN YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITYStocktonJune 2023
- VENTURA YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITYCamarilloJune 2023
- O.H.CLOSE YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITYStocktonJune 2022
- DEUEL VOCATIONAL INSTITUTION (DVI)TracySeptember 2021
CDCR closed Deuel Vocational Institution in September 2021. It had operated in Tracy since 1953.
- ALAMEDA CITY JAILAlamedaClosure date not yet confirmed
- BAKER COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL FACILITYBakerClosure date not yet confirmed
- CAMP BARRETTAlpineClosure date not yet confirmed
- CCA SAN DIEGO CORRECTIONAL FACILITYSan DiegoClosure date not yet confirmed
- CI TAFTTaftClosure date not yet confirmed
- CI TAFT CAMPTaftClosure date not yet confirmed
- CLAREMONT CUSTODY CENTERCoalingaClosure date not yet confirmed
- CURTIS E WETTER JUVENILE HALLRed BluffClosure date not yet confirmed
- DESCANSO DETENTION FACILITYAlpineClosure date not yet confirmed
- EL CENTRO SERVICE PROCESSING CENTEREl CentroClosure date not yet confirmed
- EL PASO DE ROBLES YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITYPaso RoblesClosure date not yet confirmed
- FOUTS SPRINGS YOUTH FACILITYStonyfordClosure date not yet confirmed
- FRED C NELLES YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITYWhittierClosure date not yet confirmed
- FRESNO COUNTY COURT SCHOOLFresnoClosure date not yet confirmed
- FRESNO COUNTY JAIL SATELLITEFresnoClosure date not yet confirmed
- GLENN E DYER DETENTION FACILITYOaklandClosure date not yet confirmed
- HARBOR AREA JAILSan PedroClosure date not yet confirmed
- HERMAN G STARK YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITYChinoClosure date not yet confirmed
- JANE HAHN JUVENILE HALLWillowsClosure date not yet confirmed
- KARL HOLTON YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITYStocktonClosure date not yet confirmed
- KINGS COUNTY BRANCH JAILHanfordClosure date not yet confirmed
- LA POSADA JUVENILE HALLSanta BarbaraClosure date not yet confirmed
- LAKE COUNTY JUVENILE HOMELakeportClosure date not yet confirmed
- LAPD DEVONSHIRE AREA JAILNorthridgeClosure date not yet confirmed
- LAPD SOUTHWEST AREA JAILLos AngelesClosure date not yet confirmed
- LAPD WILSHIRE AREA JAILLos AngelesClosure date not yet confirmed
- LEO CHESNEY COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL FACILITYLive OakClosure date not yet confirmed
- LOS ANGELES COUNTY SYBIL BRAND INSTITUTE FOR WOMENLos AngelesClosure date not yet confirmed
- LOS PADRINOS JUVENILE HALLDowneyClosure date not yet confirmed
- MOUNT GLEASON CONSERVATION CAMPPalmdaleClosure date not yet confirmed
- MURIEL WRIGHT RESIDENTIAL CENTERSan JoseClosure date not yet confirmed
- NORTHERN BRANCH JAILSanta MariaClosure date not yet confirmed
- NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WOMEN'S FACILITYStocktonClosure date not yet confirmed
- PITCHESS DETENTION CENTER-EASTCastaicClosure date not yet confirmed
- PLACER COUNTY MINIMUM SECURITY JAILAuburnClosure date not yet confirmed
- PLACERVILLE JUVENILE HALLPlacervilleClosure date not yet confirmed
- PRESTON YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITYIoneClosure date not yet confirmed
- ROUNTREE LANE MINIMUM SECURITY FACILITYWatsonvilleClosure date not yet confirmed
- SAN DIEGO COUNTY JUVENILE RANCH FACILITYCampoClosure date not yet confirmed
- SONOMA COUNTY SIERRA YOUTH CENTERSanta RosaClosure date not yet confirmed
- SOUTHERN YOUTH CORR RECEPTION CENTER / CLINICNorwalkClosure date not yet confirmed
- STANISLAUS COUNTY HONOR FARMModestoClosure date not yet confirmed
- TWIN PINES RANCHBanningClosure date not yet confirmed
- VAN HORN YOUTH CENTERRiversideClosure date not yet confirmed
- WEST VALLEY JUVENILE DETENTION CENTERRancho CucamongaClosure date not yet confirmed
- WOMEN'S CORRECTIONAL CENTERRedwood CityClosure date not yet confirmed