California Department of Corrections: What Families Need to Know (2026)
With 31 adult institutions, California's prison system is the largest in this set, and the guide helps families find their way through it. In-person visiting at adult institutions runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with times varying by facility and scheduled through the Visitor Scheduling Application, known as VSA. Families can check the Facility Visiting Status page or call 1-800-374-8474 for the latest information. The guide lists every institution, from Avenal State Prison and San Quentin Rehabilitation Center to the California Institution for Women and Pelican Bay State Prison, each with its phone number. One detail matters for letters: the addresses CDCR lists are physical addresses, not mailing addresses, and the mailing address for an incarcerated person is on each institution's CDCR landing page, so check there before you send anything. The department is led by Secretary Jeff Macomber, and CDCR headquarters is at 1515 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95811, main number 916-324-7308. Schedules change, and the guide's advice holds throughout: call the facility to confirm before traveling.
Full guide: https://8a1c6da4-9eeb-47b4-b576-ee932f459420.usrfiles.com/ugd/de0afa_856a54b38bb84cca8d6875b3429208fa.pdf
Cell Secretary is a white-glove concierge service for incarcerated people and their families. If it can be done legally and ethically on the outside, we can usually do it for you.
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