Facility record · California
California State Prison, Centinela
CEN · Imperial · Imperial County
- SecurityLevels I–IV
- Population3,229
- Occupancy140%
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California State Prison, Centinela (CEN) is a state prison in Imperial, Imperial County, California. By capacity it is the 15th-largest of the 30 state prison records listed for California with a published capacity. It is one of 4 correctional facilities in Imperial County, and California operates 30 state prisons in total.
Contact & details
CDCR Infrastructure Master Plan, Appendix 1 (May 2026), period ending 30 April 2026
Finding someone first
Nothing below works without two things: confirmation that the person is at California State Prison, Centinela, and their CDCR number. Book a visit without them and you will be turned away; post a letter without the number and the mailroom cannot route it.
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 ↗
Visiting California State Prison, Centinela
This is what the institution publishes, in the order you will meet it: when visits run, how to get approved, how to book, when to arrive, and what you may carry in.
When visits run
Visiting open · 13 April 2026Get approved
You must be approved before booking. The incarcerated person first sends you a signed CDCR Form 106 Visiting Questionnaire. Complete that copy, then mail it directly to CEN’s Visiting office.
Send it to: Mail the completed questionnaire to Centinela State Prison, Attention: Visiting, P.O. Box 731, Imperial, CA 92251-0731. This is CEN’s official institution/staff mailbox.
What not to do: Do not mail the completed questionnaire back to the incarcerated person. Send it directly to CEN’s Visiting office at the institution/staff address above.
Do not use the housing-specific inmate mailboxes for Facilities A–E. P.O. Box 931 is inmate mail for Facilities D and E, not CEN’s Visiting office.Book through the scheduling application
Use VSA for ordinary visits. The request period opens eight days before the visit and closes five days before it; scheduled arrivals have a one-hour grace period.
Open the Visitation Scheduling Application ↗
Walking in: Walk-ins are first come and space available. They may arrive as early as the earliest appointment but are processed as capacity permits; call before relying on one.
Non-contact and restricted-housing visitsNon-contact visiting is not a choice — it is what applies while someone is in reception (newly admitted to CDCR, or just transferred between prisons) or is segregated.
Arrive, and report to visitor processing
At the gray brick wall, line up in vehicles and wait for the Outside Patrol Sergeant to escort vehicles in. Scheduled visits have a one-hour grace period.
Parking: On arrival at the gray brick wall, form the visitor vehicle line and remain outside the institution until the Outside Patrol Sergeant arrives in a state vehicle to escort visitors onto the grounds.
Where to report: Stage in the vehicle line outside CEN’s gray brick wall. Do not enter the grounds until the Outside Patrol Sergeant arrives in a state vehicle and escorts the visitor vehicles inside.
Bring the right things, and only those
Allowed in
- Only CDCR-authorized visitor property may enter (including ID, limited cash/change, a small clear bag, limited keys, and specified child/medical items). Leave other property secured outside and verify local exceptions.
Identification: Adults need current, unexpired photo ID. Accepted forms include a state driver license/DMV ID, military photo ID, ICE ID, U.S. or foreign passport with photo, or Mexican Consulate photo ID.
How many may visit: Scheduled visits have priority, but CEN may terminate the longest-running visits when a room reaches capacity. Walk-ins are first-come and never guaranteed.
Bringing a child: CEN requires the original certified birth certificate for every minor age 18 or younger on every visit; statewide guardianship/consent rules also apply.
Video visits and cost: CDCR states tablet users receive 15 minutes of free video calls every two weeks and audio calls are free. Weekend video visiting ended at adult institutions, while camps retain hybrid visiting.
Phone calls, money and mail
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.
Putting money on the books
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.
Writing to someone here
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.
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
California State Prison, Centinela (CEN)
Facility A, P.O. Box 901, Imperial, CA 92251-0901
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
California State Prison, Centinela (CEN)
Facility B, P.O. Box 911, Imperial, CA 92251-0911
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
California State Prison, Centinela (CEN)
Facility C, P.O. Box 921, Imperial, CA 92251-0921
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
California State Prison, Centinela (CEN)
Facility D & E, P.O. Box 931, Imperial, CA 92251-0931
Getting there, and staying
El Centro is CDCR’s identified nearest city. These properties are planning options, not endorsements; confirm the drive to CEN, exact room, accessibility features, parking, deposit and cancellation deadline. The Friends Outside Visitor Center provides transportation inside institutional grounds. Call before travel for the current pickup point, schedule, capacity, eligibility and return-trip arrangement.
Confirm the last mile: Friends Outside Visitor Center: (760) 352-2466. Published hours: Tuesday 7:30–11:30 a.m.; Friday 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; Saturday/Sunday 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Where to stay
The prison is outside central El Centro. Compare the actual morning route and allow time for the vehicle-staging procedure at the gray wall.
Somewhere to eat
| Place | What and when | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Denny’s3403 Dogwood Road, El Centro, CA 92243 | Official page lists 24-hour service, round-the-clock breakfast and takeout | (760) 337-9023 |
| Denny’s1445 Ocotillo Drive, El Centro, CA 92243 | Official page lists 24-hour service, all-day breakfast and takeout | (760) 352-2576 |
| McDonald’s810 N. Imperial Avenue, Imperial, CA 92251 | Official page lists a 5:00 a.m. lobby and drive-through opening every day | (760) 355-2222 |
Local planning notes
Road check: Check Caltrans QuickMap and CEN’s live visiting page before leaving. Appointment holders receive VSA cancellation notices when conditions affect access; walk-in visitors should call first.
Inside the institution
Facilities A-E; official inspection material also identifies a central health building, triage/treatment and correctional treatment areas, and restricted-housing/specialty clinics.
Restricted housing
CEN has a Restrictive Housing Unit; C6 and all non-contact visits are one hour and require the facility email request process.
Health care, programs and release preparation
These services differ by institution. The details below describe what this prison reports, not a systemwide promise that every person qualifies for every program.
Health care
A basic-care institution with facility clinics, triage/treatment, a correctional treatment center, restricted-housing and specialty clinics, plus telemedicine.
Education, training and work
ABE I-III, GED, voluntary education, independent study, literacy lab, and vocational programs including electrical, office technologies, building maintenance, automotive trades, electronics, roofing, and welding.
Preparing for release
A contracted family liaison/case manager assists with family reunification and pre-release preparation; treatment programming also operates.
Reported figures
These are the institution’s own returns to the state, and every group is dated. They have to be: the figures come from separate documents on separate cadences, and reading the whole set as one snapshot would be wrong.
Capacity and population
as at 30 April 2026How the population is housed
as at 30 June 2024Staffing
as at 30 June 2024Education and training
as at 30 June 2024CDCR Infrastructure Master Plan, Appendix 1 (May 2026) (Public record) · California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, SB601 Reporting (CC BY 4.0)
Guides that go wider than this institution
These cover the same ground across every facility in the directory, which is what you want if the person may be moved, or if you are helping someone in a different state.