Ishi Conservation Camp #18

Visiting Ishi Conservation Camp #18

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

Hybrid in-person and video visiting is offered on Saturdays and Sundays. Open-phase in-person sessions may occur between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; call before travel because crews can deploy on short notice.

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

Fire camps do not use VSA. Schedule that weekend’s in-person visit Monday-Friday by phone ((530) 597-2846) or email (IshiVideoVisiting@cdcr.ca.gov); submit video requests by email from Saturday 8:00 a.m. through Monday 8:00 a.m. 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

Confirm directly with the camp before leaving because a fire crew can be activated on short notice; follow staff instructions for arrival and screening. CDCR does not publish a camp-specific early-arrival window.

Identification

Statewide CDCR visitor rules require current valid photo ID for adults. Minors require a certified birth certificate and, where applicable, guardianship proof or original notarized consent.

How many people may visit

No more than five approved visitors per incarcerated person for an open-phase camp visit.

Bringing a child

Minors may visit when accompanied by an approved adult and with a certified birth certificate; guardianship or notarized parental consent is required when the accompanying adult is not the parent.

What not to wear

CDCR statewide attire rules apply: dress modestly; avoid clothing resembling incarcerated-person or staff uniforms, revealing/transparent or tight clothing, unapproved headwear, and metal items that cannot clear screening.

What stays in the car

Bring only CDCR-authorized visitor property (ID, limited cash, small clear bag, two keys, and specified papers, infant or documented medical items). Weapons, drugs, electronics and unlisted property are prohibited.

Video visits, and what a visit costs

All fire camps have transitioned to Securus. CDCR lists video calls at $0.10 per minute and 30 free minutes per month; scheduled camp video visits are arranged directly by camp email.

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

CDCR audio calls are initiated by incarcerated people and are free to both sides; calls are generally limited to 15 minutes.

Putting money on the books

Use CDCR-approved electronic vendors or the JPay lockbox; fees and restitution deductions may apply.

Source: CDCR · CDCR

Worth knowing before you go

Call (530) 597-2846 before travel because crews can be deployed with little notice. Official camp address: 30500 Plum Creek Road, Paynes Creek, CA 96075.

Source: CDCR

Inside the institution

How it is laid out

The official page describes hand crews and an in-camp boxed-meal project but does not publish a housing-unit plan.

Security levels

Minimum-security conservation (fire) camp. Participation is voluntary and camp placement is limited by CDCR eligibility criteria.

Source: CDCR · CDCR

Programmes and release

Education, training and work

CDCR says every conservation camp offers rehabilitative and educational services such as substance-use recovery, religious programs, GED and college courses.

Preparing for release

Camp work builds emergency-response, conservation, teamwork and trade skills; CDCR describes camp education and rehabilitation as preparation for successful community reintegration.

Source: CDCR