CDCR

This article is a practical walkthrough of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for anyone who needs to navigate prisons, parole, visitation, victim services, or research. You’ll find step-by-step guidance on getting approved to visit, scheduling or preparing for a visit, searching for an incarcerated person, contacting someone in custody, sending money, and understanding parole and the Board of Parole Hearings. We also cover rehabilitative programming, where to find official statistics and rules, and how to get help from the CDCR Ombudsman or request public records. At the end, there’s a concise list of CDCR department contacts with addresses and phone numbers drawn from official sources.

Start Here: What CDCR Does and How It’s Organized

CDCR is California’s statewide corrections agency responsible for adult institutions, parole, rehabilitation programs, and victim services. If you’re looking for a single official entry point to verify policies, see updates, or navigate to the right division, begin on the CDCR homepage, which provides the most current links to departments, programs, and contact information you’ll see discussed throughout this guide. Visit the CDCR website at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The pillars you’ll interact with most

Adult institutions and visitation: Where people are housed and how families and friends maintain contact.

Population information: The official place to confirm a CDCR number and where someone is currently housed.

Parole and reentry: Community supervision after prison, including hearings and conditions.

Rehabilitation and programming: Education, treatment, and reentry preparation delivered inside institutions and in the community.

Victim services: Rights information, notifications, and support services.

Rules, reports, and public records: Regulations, statistics, and formal records requests.

Help and escalation: The Ombudsman’s office for assistance resolving issues.

Find Someone in CDCR Custody Without Guesswork

Before planning anything else—mail, calls, visits, or sending money—confirm the person’s CDCR number and housing. CDCR provides two official tools you’ll use repeatedly:

Use CIRIS (California Incarcerated Records and Information Search) to look up a CDCR number and current location on the Search Population system at California Incarcerated Records and Information Search.

Once you know the name of the institution, confirm addresses and phone numbers with CDCR’s official Facility Locator at Find a Facility.

A quick reality check helps: people can be transferred, and visiting procedures vary by location and status. Always re-check these tools before you schedule or travel.

Plan a Visit the Right Way: Approval, Status, Scheduling, and Prep

CDCR standardizes core visitation steps across institutions, but local conditions matter. The safest way to avoid delays is to work through the process in order and verify the facility’s current status.

Step 1 — Get on the visiting list

You must be approved before you can schedule a visit. Follow the official instructions for application, background checks, and mailing the form to the correct institution’s visiting staff by heading to Get Approved to Visit at How to get approved to visit.

What to expect: You’ll complete the Visitor Questionnaire (CDCR Form 106). Be thorough—include arrests and convictions even if charges were dropped. Incomplete or inconsistent information can lead to a denial. If you’re denied, you’ll receive notice and may appeal or reapply once you correct the issue. In emergencies or hardship situations, institutions can sometimes authorize limited visits prior to full approval, but those decisions are discretionary and not guaranteed.

Step 2 — Check the facility’s visiting status

Scheduling methods can change based on institutional conditions. Always check Visiting Status Updates to see whether the site uses online scheduling or email and whether there are any temporary restrictions. Go to Visiting Status Updates.

Step 3 — Schedule your visit

Most institutions use the Visitation Scheduling Application (VSA) for in-person or video visits, while some facilities (and conservation camps) may use alternative methods. CDCR’s official hub for this step is Schedule a Visit, which explains the VSA process, email scheduling where applicable, and special notes for certain facilities. See Schedule a Visit.

Step 4 — Prepare to visit

Avoid same-day surprises. Read the official Prepare to Visit guidelines to confirm attire restrictions, ID requirements, video visit rules, check-in procedures, and other practical details. Review Prepare to Visit.

Centralized visitation page

If you prefer a single overview page covering the full visitation process, CDCR maintains a central Visitation hub that links to status, approval, scheduling, and preparation topics in one place: Adult Visitation Information.

Keep in Touch: Mail, Phone Calls, and Electronic Messages

Staying connected supports rehabilitation and reentry. CDCR explains approved communication options—mail, telephone, and electronic messaging—on its official contact page for families and friends.

Written contact: Format envelopes with the incarcerated person’s full name, CDCR number, institution name, and housing (if known), and use the correct mail address listed on the institution’s page via the Facility Locator.

Phone contact: Incarcerated people initiate outgoing calls, which are time-limited. Families may provide a phone number in correspondence. Calls from CDCR institutions are free of charge to the caller and recipient under current policy.

Electronic messages: Once tablets are active at an institution, inbound electronic communications (text and photos) may be sent by friends and family for a per-message fee. Check whether tablets have rolled out at the specific site.

Consult CDCR’s official page How to Contact an Incarcerated Person for details, including how to obtain a CDCR number if you don’t have it yet and where to find the correct mailing address for a given prison: Contact an Incarcerated Person.

Send Money Safely: Official Paths and What to Know About Deductions

CDCR outlines the approved ways to place funds into an incarcerated person’s account and explains the differences between electronic funds transfer, lockbox money orders, and mailing a check or money order to the institution. Each method has distinct timelines and requirements, and certain categories—like family visiting or temporary community leave—have special rules about how funds can be sent.

Crucially, be aware of statutory deductions: when a person owes a restitution fine or direct order, a significant portion of deposits can be automatically withheld to meet those obligations, plus an administrative fee. This applies broadly across income sources, including trust account deposits.

Go directly to CDCR’s official page Sending Money for step-by-step instructions, forms, and rules: Sending Money.

Victims and Survivors: Rights, Notifications, and Hearing Information

CDCR maintains a comprehensive Victim Services portal where victims and survivors can learn about their rights, request services, and access notification options related to inmate movements and parole hearings. The site also links to restitution information and hearing procedures so you can prepare thoroughly.

Explore CDCR’s official Victim Services page here: Victim and Survivor Services.

Parole in California: What to Expect During Supervision and Reentry

For many, release from prison includes a period of community supervision administered by CDCR’s Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO). You can learn how the supervision system works, where regional units and headquarters offices are located, and how parole agents coordinate services and compliance.

To understand the framework for supervision and how parole ties into reentry supports, consult CDCR’s official Parole Operations hub: Parole Operations.

Board of Parole Hearings (BPH): The Hearing Process, Notices, and Participation

The Board of Parole Hearings conducts parole suitability hearings and other proceedings affecting release decisions. If you are preparing for an upcoming hearing—whether you are an incarcerated person, a family member, or a victim or survivor—the BPH site is your authoritative source for schedules, procedures, rights, and participation guidelines.

Visit the official Board of Parole Hearings site here: Board of Parole Hearings.

Rehabilitation and Reentry: Programs That Prepare People for Life After Prison

CDCR’s Division of Rehabilitative Programs (DRP) sits at the center of education, treatment, and reentry services. DRP’s mission is to reduce the likelihood of re-offense by delivering evidence-based programming from the first days of incarceration through post-release.

What DRP delivers inside institutions

Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (CBI): Programs that address criminal thinking, substance use, anger management, and family relationships through structured curricula.

Education and skills: Adult Basic Education, secondary education, career readiness, and vocational opportunities aligned with reentry needs.

Documentation and identity: Support with obtaining a California ID to streamline employment, housing, and services after release.

Assessment tools: Instruments like COMPAS and the California Static Risk Assessment (CSRA) help match services to needs over the course of a sentence.

Pre-release and post-release services

Pre-release community programs: Eligible individuals can complete the final portion of their sentence in community-based settings with targeted services and transition planning.

Post-release (after-prison) programs: Parolees can access transitional housing, substance use treatment, employment support, and other services that help stabilize life in the community.

For a complete overview of programs and eligibility, use CDCR’s official Rehabilitation portal: Division of Rehabilitative Programs.

The California Model: Why Rehabilitation and Restorative Justice Are Central

CDCR’s evolving California Model emphasizes safer communities through rehabilitation, restorative justice, and reentry. It focuses on preparing people for successful return by building programming around assessed needs, evidence-based practices, and partnerships across divisions. The model recognizes that consistent communication with family, participation in treatment and education, and stable community supports after release can lower recidivism and improve public safety.

While the model shapes programming system-wide, your day-to-day experience will still be guided by the institution’s local visiting status, the individual’s program assignments, and parole planning timelines, which is why staying current with official pages linked throughout this guide is key.

Rules, Policies, and How to Read Them Without Getting Lost

Corrections policy can be dense. If you need to verify a specific policy, check the official Regulations & Policy page that aggregates CDCR rules, department operations manuals, and notices of regulatory changes. This is particularly useful for attorneys, researchers, advocates, and families who want to confirm what a rule actually says (versus what you may have heard informally). Start here: Regulations & Policy.

CDCR by the Numbers: Official Research and Population Reports

If you’re looking for accurate statistics—population totals, movements, outcomes, and recidivism—rely on the Office of Research, which publishes dashboards, methodological notes, and special studies. These resources are invaluable for policy analysis, grant writing, or simply understanding system trends.

Office of Research home for methods and statewide studies: Office of Research
Population Reports covering current and historical counts and trends: Population Reports

These reports are regularly updated and provide the most reliable numbers available for Californians.

Public Records, Press Inquiries, and Where to Direct Official Requests

California’s Public Records Act gives you the right to request public records from state agencies. If you need documents from CDCR, the only correct place to submit a formal request is the department’s Public Records Portal. Submitting through the portal ensures your request is logged, routed, and tracked within CDCR’s system. File and manage requests here: Public Records Portal.

For media questions, CDCR’s Office of Public and Employee Communications handles press inquiries and external affairs, but the portal above remains the appropriate channel for formal records production.

When You Need Help Sorting Out an Issue: Contact the Ombudsman

The Office of the Ombudsman serves as an independent intermediary to help individuals understand CDCR policies and resolve concerns at the lowest possible level. The Ombudsman can clarify procedures, explain options, and identify the right contacts within institutions without replacing formal grievance or appeal processes.

To reach the office or submit a request for assistance, use CDCR’s official Ombudsman contact page: Contact the Ombudsman.

For Researchers, Students, and Policy Pros: Where to Source Authoritative Data

When accuracy matters, skip informal summaries and pull directly from CDCR’s official publications. The Office of Research explains definitions (such as how CDCR calculates recidivism), provides methodological notes, and updates datasets on a regular schedule. Pair those resources with the Population Reports to ground your work in current numbers. If you need documents beyond what’s posted (for example, records tied to a specific program), submit a request through the Public Records Portal so it enters the department’s tracking system.

Methods and studies: Office of Research
Official data tables and counts: Population Reports
Formal records requests: Public Records Portal

Understand the Rules You’ll Hear Referenced Every Day

Across institutions and parole, you’ll hear staff and policy documents refer to statewide regulations, department operations manuals, and program-specific rules. These are not rumors or “local rules”—they’re published and accessible to the public. If a question turns on “what the rule really says,” open CDCR’s official Regulations & Policy page. From there, you can read the actual authority governing mail, property, visitation, and more. Bookmark it if you’re providing ongoing support to someone inside: Regulations & Policy.

For Families and Friends: How Rehabilitation Ties to Everyday Choices

Choices that seem small—signing up for a class, consistently joining CBI groups, or meeting a program milestone—often influence housing, privileges, and readiness for reentry planning. DRP’s approach is assessment-driven, so people who are truthful and thorough during tools like COMPAS and consistently follow through on assigned programming usually build a stronger case for post-release stability. If you want to understand how in-prison programs connect to pre-release and post-release support in the community, start with the Rehabilitation portal: Division of Rehabilitative Programs.

For Victims and Survivors: Where Hearing Information Meets Services

Beyond rights and notifications, the logistics of attending or participating in a parole hearing may feel daunting. CDCR’s Victim Services page lays out the options and connects to information about restitution processes and parole hearing procedures, while the Board of Parole Hearings site provides the official schedule and participation details. Use them together to plan: Victim and Survivor Services and Board of Parole Hearings.

Keep Your Information Current: Why Status Pages and Official Hubs Matter

Institutional conditions change, schedules shift, and new guidance is posted throughout the year. To avoid acting on outdated information, make it a habit to:

Re-check Visiting Status Updates before traveling.

Confirm the institution’s page via the Facility Locator for the latest address and phone numbers.

Use the CDCR homepage to reach high-traffic hubs like Visitation, Rehabilitation, Parole Operations, Victim Services, Office of Research, Regulations & Policy, and the Public Records Portal.

Staying inside the official ecosystem helps you make plans that stick—and it keeps your time and money from being wasted by avoidable mistakes.

CDCR Departments and Offices — Addresses and Phone Numbers

Office of the Ombudsman — P.O. Box 942883, Sacramento, CA 94283-0001 — (916) 445-1773

Division of Rehabilitative Programs — 9260 Laguna Springs Drive, Elk Grove, CA 95758 — Office of Correctional Education (279) 223-1500; Community Reentry Services (279) 223-3900