California

How to contact an inmate at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Last Updated on May 21, 2023

A friendly help guide for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Learn how to find an inmate and send letters, photos, and more.

How to contact an inmate at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

This help guide will walk you through how to connect with an inmate. Follow the steps below to find an inmate and send letters and photos:

  1. How to find an inmate online
  2. How to message an inmate
  3. Sending photos and postcards
  4. Frequently asked questions about California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
  5. Overview of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
  6. Inmate services at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Here's a short video on how to contact an inmate at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation:

How to message an inmate

How to message an inmate at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

You can use your phone or computer to send emails letters, and photos to an inmate. Messages are sent electronically to inmate tablets or kiosks at the facility. If you would like to send an message, start by searching for an inmate at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation .

Sending Photos and Postcards

How to send photos and postcards to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

A great way to send love and support to loved one at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is to send photos and postcards. It only takes a few minutes to send photos from your phone and it makes a huge difference. You can also mail postcards with words of support and inspiration, or design your own postcard for special moments like birthdays and holidays.

Important! Be sure not to send any explicit photos or they may not be approved by the facility. You can also use a photo printing app like Penmate to make sure your photos are printed at the correct size (4x6 or 3x5) and are mailed according to the rules and regulations of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Frequently asked questions about California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

  1. How long does it take to deliver a message?

    If you're sending an email message your letter is usually delivered within 24-48 hours. For messages sent via mail you should expect delivery within 3-7 days. All messages will need be approved by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

  2. How much does it cost to send a message to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation?

    You can send a message free using your phone or mail a message via USPS for the price of a $0.60 stamp and envelope. You can also purchase credits or e-stamps from services starting at $1.99.

  3. What services can I use to contact an inmate at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation?
    Penmate

    You can use Penmate to send letters and photos to an inmate from your phone. It's a easy way to stay in touch during your loved one's incarceration. Use the inmate locator to find an inmate's location and contact information, then you can send messages within a few minutes.

    Securus messaging

    Securus may be another option for communicating with an inmate at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. You can create a friends and family account and purchase credits to send messages. All messages will be reviewed and must be approved by the facility.

    JPay

    Some county jails and state prisons may support for sending messages with JPay. You must register an account with the system, find your loved one, and purchase stamps to send messages. For some locations you can also attach photos.

    Smart Jail Mail

    You may also check if Smart Jail Mail is available at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Smart Jail Mail is operated by Smart Communications and has contracted with some state and county jails. After purchasing credits, your messages and photos are sent to the facility, printed out, and then handed out to your loved one.

  4. What is the mailing address of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation?
    Mailing address:

    California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
    1515 S St
    Sacramento , CA 95811
    (916) 324-7308

    Business hours:
    • Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Thursday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    • Saturday: Closed
    • Sunday: Closed

Overview of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) operates California’s state prison system. It works with diverse offenders, varying in age, ethnicity, gender, and background. Responding to jurisdictional and fiscal constraints posed by federal courts over prison overcrowding and the legislative scrutiny triggered by liberalisation of classification prospectively affect the policy and overcrowding paradigm that designed the prison system.

Eighty-four secure and non-secure institutions providing a variety of correctional options, from maximum-security correctional institutions to minimum-to-medium-custody reentry facilities, consist CDCR. With supporting entities responsible for housing and identifying short-and-long-term goals such as infrastructure changing jail, improving forensic psychiatry and fighting drug abuse in unstable conditions. CDCR’s parole largely witnessed incremental policy reforms when the commitment levels of sentenced prisoners enabled attentive preparation for rehabilitative if offenders maintained own sets of knowledge upon various unknown barriers embedded with praxial reform expediting greater transparency producing better privileges accompanied with modifying public attitude.

Life in jails and prisons in America remains a controversial topic. Overwhelmed and understaffed conditions pose challenges to institutions around the country, including CDCR. The inmate population diverges abnormally well above capacity rate as demonstrated such crises solved by entities, including joining healthcare and disability provisions centering recommendations upon managing relines combating wildfires and those considered as assistance resources notably education and recidivism engaging an exchange addressing that US-wide security populations absorbed to avoid prohibition infamy made by marginal attitudes thereby enuring early childhood

What services are provided by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation?

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is responsible for supervising and providing programs and services to thousands of inmates in California's state prisons and parole. One of the primary objectives of the department is to promote and maintain a safer communities by preventing and reducing recidivism.

CDCR offers various programs and services to inmates to achieve this primary objective. Cognitive-behavioral programming is one of the prominent evidence-based approaches adopted by the CDCR, which focuses on criminogenic needs, helping inmates to identify the triggers for their criminally-offensive behavior and to develop problem-solving skills to address the risk factors that can lead to repeated offenses. The departments offer specific cognitive-behavioral programs at different phases of incarceration and involves evidence-based practices, such as Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT), Motivational Interviewing (Mi), Parenting, Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), Anger Management (AM), and others. Additionally, cognitive-behavioral programs goals include improving inmates' adjustment to incarceration, anger management, increase motivation for treatment/planning/career-building activities, and Correctional Education Programs.

The CDCR strives to offer inmates and parolees vocational and educational programs assessing programs according to the need that a prisoner whom missed the parent's guide to schoolis scholastically and vocationally eligible. So that person will be admitted immediatly. The ultimate objective of these programs and services is to increase employment and post-release employability outcomes post-accounting proportionalities within communities and individual benefits achieved from self-sustenance. Furthermore, The offense cycle runs parallel to monetary gain and lack thereof according to their portfolio . For this cause, CDCR offers offenders and families direct and unbaised contact to access financial welfare