Fenner Canyon Conservation Camp #41

Visiting Fenner Canyon Conservation Camp #41

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, what you may carry in and who may come with you.

When visits run

Conservation camps offer in-person visiting on Saturdays and Sundays. Camps in Open Phase offer sessions between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.; fire crews may deploy without notice, so call or email the camp before traveling.

Getting approved first

You have to be an approved visitor before you can book anything. Approval starts with a Visitor Questionnaire, CDCR Form 106.

How to get the form: You cannot download it and send it yourself. The incarcerated person has to send the form to you, and they must sign it first — that signature is what confirms they want you added to their visiting list.

Filling it in: Fill it in completely. The questionnaire asks for every criminal conviction AND every arrest, including arrests that never led to a charge. CDCR runs a background check and will deny approval if the check turns up something the form left out, so list everything. If you cannot recall the details of an old arrest, give the approximate date and the reason as precisely as you can.

Where to send: Mail the completed questionnaire to the Visiting Sergeant or Lieutenant at the institution where the person is housed, addressed to the attention of “Visiting”.

Warning: Most prisons use a DIFFERENT address for mail to staff than for mail to an incarcerated person. Use the staff address. A questionnaire sent to the inmate mail address does not reach Visiting.

What not to do: Do not send the questionnaire to the incarcerated person. It will not be accepted.

How long: Processing time varies by institution, depending on how many forms it receives and how many staff are cleared to review them. CDCR publishes no standard turnaround.

Booking a visit

Because fire-camp connectivity prevents use of VSA, schedule an in-person visit Monday through Friday for that weekend by calling or emailing the camp directly. Video-visit requests are submitted by email from 8 a.m. Saturday through 8 a.m. Monday for the following weekend.

Non-contact and restricted-housing visits

Non-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.

Who: Reception status, Administrative Segregation, Security Housing Units, Adjustment Centers, someone pending specific rules-violation charges, or anyone assigned to a Behavior Management Unit.

Conditions: The visit happens through a glass partition. Staff escort the incarcerated person in handcuffs, and the handcuffs come off only once they are secured on their side of the booth.

With children: If you would rather a child did not see someone in restraints, wait away from the booth until they are settled.

Limits: Three visitors, not five. Length is limited — usually one to two hours, depending on the prison and on why the visit is non-contact.

How early to arrive

Check the facility’s current visiting status before travel. Visitor processing can involve a wait; processing continues until one hour before posted visiting ends. Follow posted arrival limits and allow time for security processing.

Identification

Adults must present valid, current photo identification: a state driver’s license or DMV ID, armed-forces photo ID, ICE ID card, U.S. or foreign passport with photo, or Mexican Consulate photo ID.

How many people may visit

For camps in Open Phase, CDCR states no more than five approved visitors per incarcerated person.

Bringing a child

Visitors under 18 must be accompanied by an approved adult. Bring a certified birth certificate; guardians must also bring proof of guardianship, and another accompanying adult needs the original notarized parental/guardian consent form naming the incarcerated person and proposed visit dates.

What not to wear

Dress conservatively. Do not wear clothing resembling incarcerated-person uniforms, law-enforcement or military clothing; prohibited examples include strapless, halter, bare-midriff, sheer/transparent, very tight clothing, and skirts/dresses/shorts exposing more than two inches above the knee. Local restrictions can be stricter, so verify before travel.

What stays in the car

Visitors may bring only the narrowly listed allowable items. Core limits include a small clear plastic bag, identification, up to two keys, prescribed allowable medical items with documentation, and specified baby supplies. Weapons, unauthorized electronics, and other unlisted property should not be brought into the secure visiting area.

Video visits, and what a visit costs

Camp participants with tablets are eligible for a free 15-minute video call every two weeks. Camps continue hybrid video and in-person weekend visiting; confirm availability directly with the camp.

Source: CDCR · CDCR — How to Get Approved to Visit an Incarcerated Person · CDCR — Types of Visits · CDCR · CDCR · CDCR · CDCR

Phone calls and money

Phone calls

Most incarcerated people can initiate outgoing calls. All telephone audio calls from California state prisons have been free to the incarcerated person and their friends/family since January 1, 2023.

Putting money on the books

Use CDCR’s approved methods after confirming the person’s CDCR number and location: electronic funds transfer through an approved vendor such as JPay or Access Corrections, or the official lock-box process. Fees and posting times vary by method.

Source: CDCR · CDCR

Inside the institution

CDCR classifies all conservation (fire) camps as minimum-security facilities.

Source: CDCR

Health care, programmes and release

Health care

CDCR and the federal Plata Receiver are responsible for health care services to all CDCR inmate-patients. CDCR’s Division of Health Care Services provides mental-health and dental services, while medical care is provided by the federally appointed Receiver; the source does not claim an on-site clinic at this camp.

Education, training and work

The official camp page states that conservation camps offer rehabilitative and educational services including substance-use recovery programs, religious programming, GED, and college courses.

Preparing for release

The official camp page describes emergency-response and community-service work, education, and rehabilitation as preparation for successful reintegration after release.

Source: CDCR · CDCR