How to mail an inmate in California
To write to someone in California state custody, address the envelope to the inmate's full committed name and CDCR number, then the facility’s own mailing address. Each facility has its own mailing address, listed below. Run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The mailing address
[Inmate's full committed name] [CDCR number] [Facility name] [Facility mailing address — see the facility page]
Replace the bracketed lines with the person's details and their facility (pick it below for the exact wording).
How California inmate mail works
- California delivers inmate mail to each prison directly — but to the institution’s inmate-mail P.O. box, not its street address. Address it to the person’s full committed name, CDCR number, and housing/bed.
- Several CDCR prisons use a different P.O. box for each housing facility (yard). Confirm the person’s current housing and use the matching box, or the letter is delayed.
- Include your full name and return address. Mail without the correct CDCR number, or without a return address, can be rejected or returned.
- Incoming personal mail is opened and inspected for contraband before it is delivered. Keep to plain letter-size paper; send copies of anything you are not willing to lose.
- People are transferred between prisons without notice — check CDCR’s inmate locator for the current institution and housing before you mail anything.
What you can't send
- Cash, checks, money orders, or postage stamps
- Any item other than paper (no polaroids, laminated cards, or enclosures)
- Nude, sexually explicit, or gang-related photos or content
- Stickers, glitter, glue, tape, perfume, lipstick, or crayon/marker
- Paper treated with any substance, or anything with drug residue
Photos: Standard photo prints are generally allowed, usually limited in number and no larger than 8" x 10". No polaroids, and nothing nude, sexually explicit, or gang-related.
Books & magazines: Books, magazines, and newspapers must come directly from an approved publisher or vendor — they cannot be sent as personal mail.
All 41 California facilities
- Avenal State PrisonAvenal, CA
- California Correctional InstitutionTehachapi, CA
- California Health Care FacilityStockton, CA
- California Institution for MenChino, CA
- California Institution for WomenCorona, CA
- California Medical FacilityVacaville, CA
- California Men's ColonySan Luis Obispo, CA
- California Rehabilitation CenterNorco, CA
- California State Prison, CorcoranCorcoran, CA
- California State Prison, Los Angeles CountyLancaster, CA
- California State Prison, SacramentoRepresa, CA
- California State Prison, SolanoVacaville, CA
- California Substance Abuse Treatment FacilityCorcoran, CA
- Calipatria State PrisonCalipatria, CA
- Centinela State PrisonImperial, CA
- Central California Women's FacilityChowchilla, CA
- Correctional Training FacilitySoledad, CA
- FCI HerlongHerlong, CA
- FCI LompocLompoc, CA
- FCI MendotaMendota, CA
- FCI Terminal IslandSan Pedro, CA
- FCI Victorville Medium IAdelanto, CA
- FCI Victorville Medium IIAdelanto, CA
- Folsom State PrisonRepresa, CA
- High Desert State PrisonSusanville, CA
- Ironwood State PrisonBlythe, CA
- Kern Valley State PrisonDelano, CA
- MCC San DiegoSan Diego, CA
- MDC Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA
- Mule Creek State PrisonIone, CA
- North Kern State PrisonDelano, CA
- Pelican Bay State PrisonCrescent City, CA
- Pleasant Valley State PrisonCoalinga, CA
- Richard J. Donovan Correctional FacilitySan Diego, CA
- Salinas Valley State PrisonSoledad, CA
- San Quentin Rehabilitation CenterSan Quentin, CA
- Sierra Conservation CenterJamestown, CA
- USP AtwaterAtwater, CA
- USP VictorvilleAdelanto, CA
- Valley State PrisonChowchilla, CA
- Wasco State PrisonWasco, CA
Common questions
What is the mailing address for an inmate in California?
Address the envelope to the inmate's full committed name and CDCR number, then the facility’s own mailing address. Use the specific facility’s mailing address, listed on its page below.
Is inmate mail in California opened or scanned?
Incoming personal mail is opened and inspected for contraband and can be read under the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)'s rules.
What can't I send to a California inmate?
Do not send: Cash, checks, money orders, or postage stamps; Any item other than paper (no polaroids, laminated cards, or enclosures); Nude, sexually explicit, or gang-related photos or content; Stickers, glitter, glue, tape, perfume, lipstick, or crayon/marker; Paper treated with any substance, or anything with drug residue. Prohibited items get the letter rejected.
How do I find which facility someone is in?
Use the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)'s official inmate locator, then open that facility's page below for the exact addressing. People are transferred without notice, so confirm before mailing anything important.
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