The state of California has one of the highest prison populations in the United States (Texas lays claim to the top spot with numbers totaling almost 134,000 people.) With just over 92,449 people serving time in state-run correctional facilities, these numbers are quite a drop from previous years. Due in part to a decade of sentence reforms, as well as releases during the COVID-19 pandemic, these numbers are down significantly from previous years, wherein 2006, there were as many as 165,000 California state prisoners.
This population was so large that federal courts mandated the state find a way to ease prison overcrowding. With the assistance of Proposition 47, a ballot measure to reduce overcrowding even more by lowering penalties for nonviolent crimes that was passed in 2015 the population was even further reduced. Even with this new low, California’s state-run adult correctional facilities still house more inmates than the facilities were designed to hold.
Two prisons have already been shuttered, with another two scheduled to close by early 2025. Prison overcrowding typically requires measures like converting double-occupancy cells into triples and filling common areas like gymnasiums with bunk beds. Prison overcrowding increases the chance of violent encounters between inmates, reduces sanitary conditions, and adds more security challenges for prison staff. (Also see, California is the state with the most people on death row.)
24/7 Wall St. reviewed inmate counts in 32 of the state’s adult correctional institutions to identify the biggest prisons in California and how crowded they are. Data is as of February 7, 2024, as reported by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Division of Correctional Policy Research and Internal Oversight Office of Research. Inmate counts include all boarders confined in state-run prisons. All data came from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Out of the 32 state correctional facilities with data, only seven hold fewer inmates than the facility was designed to hold. At the other end of the spectrum, the state’s largest prisons by inmate population are also among the most overcrowded. These include Avenal State Prison in the central San Joaquin Valley and the California Rehabilitation Center in Riverside County, which are run at 165% and 173% overcapacity, respectively. (Also read: California Has Had More Weather Disasters Than Any Other State in the Last Decade)
Four California state prisons, including Avenal and CRC, have occupancy rates of more than 150%, meaning that the facility is holding about one extra inmate for every two it was intended to hold. The average occupancy rate for all 32 correctional facilities is 116%.
Here are the biggest prisons in California.
32. California Institution for Women (CIW)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 1,193
- Capacity: 1,281 – #32 most on list
- Percent occupied: 101% – #25 highest on list
- County: San Bernardino County
31. California State Prison, Sacramento (SAC)
Source: Folsom Powerhouse / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 1,857
- Capacity: 1,828 – #28 most on list
- Percent occupied: 102% – #24 highest on list
- County: Sacramento County
30. Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP)
Source: Jelson25 / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 1,455
- Capacity: 2,380 – #16 most on list
- Percent occupied: 61% – #31 highest on list
- County: Del Norte
29. California Correctional Institution (CCI)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 1,775
- Capacity: 2,172 – #24 most on list
- Percent occupied: 82% – #29 highest on list
- County: Kern
28. California Medical Facility (CMF)
Source: Jesstess87 / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 1,975
- Capacity: 2,318 – #18 most on list
- Percent occupied: 94% – #28 highest on list
- County: Solano
27. Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP)
Source: Courtesy of Chuckawalla Inmante Family Council via Facebook
- Inmates: 1,680
- Capacity: 1,738 – #30 most on list
- Percent occupied: 97% – #26 highest on list
- County: Riverside
26. California Institution for Men (CIM)
Source: Courtesy of Roy L. via Yelp
- Inmates: 2,189
- Capacity: 1,604 – #31 most on list
- Percent occupied: 136% – #7 highest on list
- County: San Bernardino
25. Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 2,191
- Capacity: 1,990 – #26 most on list
- Percent occupied: 110% – #22 highest on list
- County: Madera
24. California Health Care Facility – Stockton (CHCF)
Source: Courtesy of Miguel O. via Yelp
- Inmates: 2,230
- Capacity: 2,953 – #9 most on list
- Percent occupied: 76% – #30 highest on list
- County: San Joaquin
23. Calipatria State Prison (CAL)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 2,645
- Capacity: 2,308 – #19 most on list
- Percent occupied: 115% – #19 highest on list
- County: Imperial
22. High Desert State Prison (HDSP)
Source: Courtesy of Jack W. via Yelp
- Inmates: 2,241
- Capacity: 2,324 – #17 most on list
- Percent occupied: 96% – #27 highest on list
- County: Lassen
21. California State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC)
Source: Ryan Herron / E+ via Getty Images
- Inmates: 2,942
- Capacity: 2,300 – #22 most on list
- Percent occupied: 128% – #9 highest on list
- County: Los Angeles
20. Centinela State Prison (CEN)
Source: Courtesy of Centinela State Prison Inmate Family Council via Facebook
- Inmates: 2,899
- Capacity: 2,308 – #19 most on list
- Percent occupied: 126% – #11 highest on list
- County: Imperial
19. Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
Source: Amineshaker / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 2,955
- Capacity: 2,448 – #15 most on list
- Percent occupied: 121% – #13 highest on list
- County: Kern
18. Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP)
Source: Courtesy of Salinas Valley Inmate Family Council via Facebook
- Inmates: 2,622
- Capacity: 2,452 – #14 most on list
- Percent occupied: 107% – #23 highest on list
- County: Monterey
17. RJ Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD)
Source: Don Ramey Logan / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 3,288
- Capacity: 2,992 – #7 most on list
- Percent occupied: 110% – #21 highest on list
- County: San Diego
16. Pleasant Valley State Prison (PVSP)
Source: Bill_Dally / iStock via Getty Images
- Inmates: 2,759
- Capacity: 2,308 – #19 most on list
- Percent occupied: 120% – #14 highest on list
- County: Fresno
15. Folsom State Prison (FOL)
Source: helldini / Flickr
- Inmates: 2,762
- Capacity: 2,065 – #25 most on list
- Percent occupied: 134% – #8 highest on list
- County: Sacramento
14. California Rehabilitation Center (CRC)
Source: Courtesy of Carlos V. via Yelp
- Inmates: 3,155
- Capacity: 1,822 – #29 most on list
- Percent occupied: 173% – #1 highest on list
- County: Riverside
13. Valley State Prison (VSP)
Source: Ksba pilot / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 3,137
- Capacity: 1,961 – #27 most on list
- Percent occupied: 160% – #3 highest on list
- County: Madera
12. California Men’s Colony (CMC)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 2,282
- Capacity: 3,816 – #1 most on list
- Percent occupied: 60% – #32 highest on list
- County: San Luis Obispo
11. Ironwood State Prison (ISP)
Source: Prison Insight / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 2,520
- Capacity: 2,200 – #23 most on list
- Percent occupied: 115% – #18 highest on list
- County: Riverside
10. California State Prison, Corcoran (COR)
Source: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 3,457
- Capacity: 3,115 – #5 most on list
- Percent occupied: 111% – #20 highest on list
- County: Kings
9. California State Prison, Solano (SOL)
Source: Jesstess87 / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 3,923
- Capacity: 2,594 – #13 most on list
- Percent occupied: 151% – #4 highest on list
- County: Los Angeles
8. Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP)
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
- Inmates: 3,918
- Capacity: 3,284 – #4 most on list
- Percent occupied: 119% – #15 highest on list
- County: Amador
7. San Quentin State Prison (SQ)
Source: sassy1902 / E+ via Getty Images
- Inmates: 3,562
- Capacity: 3,084 – #6 most on list
- Percent occupied: 116% – #17 highest on list
- County: Marin
6. Wasco State Prison (WSP)
Source: Courtesy Wasco State Prison Support Page via Facebook
- Inmates: 3,735
- Capacity: 2,984 – #8 most on list
- Percent occupied: 125% – #12 highest on list
- County: Kern
5. Sierra Conservation Center (SCC)
Source: Visit Tuolumne County / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 3,954
- Capacity: 3,404 – #3 most on list
- Percent occupied: 116% – #16 highest on list
- County: Tuolumne
4. North Kern State Prison (NKSP)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 3,737
- Capacity: 2,694 – #12 most on list
- Percent occupied: 139% – #6 highest on list
- County: Kern
3. Correctional Training Facility (CTF)
Source: gcwest / Flickr
- Inmates: 4,109
- Capacity: 2,800 – #11 most on list
- Percent occupied: 147% – #5 highest on list
- County: Monterey
2. California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF)
Source: Ehud ii / Wikimedia Commons
- Inmates: 4,302
- Capacity: 3,424 – #2 most on list
- Percent occupied: 126% – #10 highest on list
- County: Kings
1. Avenal State Prison (ASP)
Source: Courtesy of CACorrections via Facebook
- Inmates: 4,789
- Capacity: 2,909 – #10 most on list
- Percent occupied: 165% – #2 highest on list
- County: Kings
Methodology
To identify the biggest prisons in California and how crowded they are, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed inmate counts in 32 of the state’s adult correctional institutions. Data is as of February 7, 2024, as California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Division of Correctional Policy Research and Internal Oversight Office of Research.
Inmate counts include felons, county contract boarders, federal boarders, state boarders, safekeepers, county diagnostic cases, Department of Mental Health boarders, and Division of Juvenile Justice boarders confined in state-run prisons. Each prison’s total capacity and occupancy also came from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
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