CDCR – California Men’s Colony (CMC)

CDCR – California Men’s Colony (CMC) basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 805-547-7900

This facility is for adult inmates.

The inmates housed at California Men’s Colony located at Hwy 1
PO Box 8101 in San Luis Obisbo, CA are placed according to their custody level (determined by a number of factors including the past criminal history and the length of their sentence). There are ample educational and vocational training programs for all inmates, especially ones that show a willingness to learn new things that will prepare them for a better life when they are released. The mission is to promote and prepare the offender to leave in better shape than when they arrived, giving them the best chance to never come back and thus lower the state's recidivism rate.

California Men's Colony (CMC) is an adult male state prison located northwest of San Luis Obispo CA halfway between SF and LA. CMC houses over 6500 inmates from minimum to medium security custody levels.

The complex made up of two facilities, East and West. The medium-security east facility has level III with individual cells, fenced perimeters and armed coverage, with housing divided into four quadrangles, as well as a licensed hospital and mental health delivery system. The West facility houses Level I (without a secure perimeter) housing and Level II (with secure perimeter fences and armed coverage) open dormitories.

Notable inmates include prominent Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton who was confined to his cell because he refused to work; former Dallas Cowboy Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson was in CMC between 1984 and October 1986 "for sexually assaulting two teenage girls and then trying to bribe them not to testify against him"; notorious banker Charles Keating Jr. began his stay at CMC in 1992; Suge Knight was incarcerated at CMC beginning in February 1997 but was later transferred to Mule Creek State Prison; Ike Turner served 18 months of a four-year sentence at CMC between March 1990 and September 1991 for cocaine possession; Christian Brando served five years of a 10-year term in the fatal shooting of his half sister's boyfriend; Timothy Leary was imprisoned at CMC after being sentenced in March 1970 for possession of marijuana, but escaped from the West facility; Mark Rogowski – Former professional skateboarder pleaded guilty on March 20, 1991, to the murder and rape of Jessica Bergsten

Basic adult education and a GED programs are some of the things inmates can take advantage of while incarcerated. Selected inmates may work on the fire crews that help the conservation department battle wildfires. Other vocational opportunities exist at this institution as well for inmates looking to learn a new skill.

The Level III housing complex (East), which houses medium security general population inmates, is divided into four Facilities. Each Facility has its own dining room, classrooms, athletic fields, and two three-story housing units. The East housing complex has a fully licensed General Acute Care Hospital and provides a full range of medical services for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The facility also provides a Mental Health Delivery System in the form of an Enhanced Outpatient Program and Outpatient treatment for inmates assigned to the Correctional Clinical Case Management System, as well as a new fully licensed 50-bed Mental Health Crisis Unit.

CDCR – California Men's Colony (CMC) – Visitation Guide
CDCR – California Men's Colony (CMC) – Inmate Packages
CDCR – California Men's Colony (CMC) – Parole Information

visitation Info

CDCR – California Men's Colony (CMC) – Visitation

Visiting a CDCR facility must be conducted in a manner that maintains order, safety, and security of the people and facility. Failure to comply with the established regulations and policies may result in a warning or termination, suspension, or revocation of your visiting privileges.

Recommended Steps Before Visiting:

1. Read Visitation Guidelines to understand what you can expect and what is expected of you
2. Find out in which facility your inmate is housed
3. Schedule a visit online using the VPASS system
4. The day of your scheduled visit, check the Visiting Status to ensure the institution is accepting visitors

 Visitation Guidelines

• Guidelines for Visiting Adult Prisons 
• Guidelines for Visiting Juvenile Facilities

Refer to the Department's current policies and regulations in Title 15and the Department Operations Manual if you want to know more.

 Locate Inmate

Use the Inmate Locator to find an inmate and what facility they are housed in.

 Schedule Visit

Sign-up or log into VPASS to schedule an inmate visit. VPASS stands for Visitor Processing Appointment Scheduling System. Note: this requires creating an online account.

 Check Visiting Status

You can find out the visiting status of a CDCR facility in one of two ways:

• Call the Visiting Status Hotline at 1-800-374-8474
• Check the VPASS Visiting Status; locate the facility you plan to visit.

You should always do this the day you plan to visit, because visitation can sometimes be unexpectedly cancelled.