CDCR - California State Prison, Corcoran (CSP-COR)

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CDCR – California State Prison, Corcoran (CSP-COR) basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 559-992-8800

This facility is for adult inmates.

The inmates housed at California St Prison – COR located at 4001 King Ave in Corcoran, 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 State Prison in Corcoran (COR) is actually a complex of several CDCR state prison facilities. Each of the facilities specializes in its own type of offender and offers different programs and privileges for adult males inmates and the custody level runs from minimum to maximum security detention.

These are the facilities that makeup CSP-Corcoran – Administrative Segregation, Security Housing, Protective Housing, Level I, Level III, Level IV, an Acute care hospital, Administrative Segregation Unit, Security Housing Unit, Protective Housing Unit, Prison Industry Authority, a fully licensed Correctional Treatment Center, Long Term Restricted Housing and Enhanced Program Facility., and the prison industry authority.

Anyone incarcerated at any of the facilities that make up Corcoran may be eligible to participate in programs designed around helping the inmates. Some of these classes include mental health, basic and GED education courses, substance abuse treatments and more.

Some of the notable inmates that have served time at COR are Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted assassin of US Senator Robert F. Kennedy; Rodney Alcala — the "dating game killer." Sentenced to death in 1980; Dana Ewell — a convicted triple murderer, he ordered the murders of his family in 1992. Currently serving three life sentences and is in protective custody; Phillip Garrido — who kidnapped Jaycee Lee Dugard in 1991 and kept her captive in his backyard up until 2009. Serving 431 years to life; Juan Corona who murdered twenty-five people in 1971, was transferred to COR and died from natural causes in 2019; Charles Manson — leader of the Manson family. Transferred from San Quentin State Prison to COR in March 1989, died in 2017; Mikhail Markhasev was convicted murderer of Ennis Cosby, son of entertainer and inmate Bill Cosby. In 1998, he received a sentence of life without parole, plus 10 years; John Floyd Thomas, Jr. a serial rapist and killer serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole convicted of the murders of seven women in the Los Angeles area during the 1970s and 1980s.

CDCR – California State Prison, Corcoran (CSP-COR) – Visitation Guide
CDCR – California State Prison, Corcoran (CSP-COR) – Inmate Packages
CDCR – California State Prison, Corcoran (CSP-COR) – Parole Information

Level I – General Population

Total capacity of Level I inmates is 728. Approximately 95% of these inmates are assigned permanent jobs. The jobs performed include Community Work Crews, Administration Building Porters, Maintenance, PIA Warehouse, Fire House, Garage, Grounds Yard Crews, PIA Corp Farm and PIA Dairy.

The Minimum Support Facility (MSF) Level I at CSP-Corcoran consists of five buildings; four are dormitories housing up to 192 inmates each, and one E-dormitory housing 200 inmates. The complex has a culinary and dining hall, its own recreation facilities, library, chapel, and visiting room. As of October 14, 2009 the Department deactivated the Substance Abuse Program (SAP) located within the Level I Facility.

Level III – General Population

Facility III-A houses inmates with a classification score of 36-59. The design of the individual housing unit is a 270° design facility.

Facility III-A has five buildings, four of which house general population inmates, with a total combined bed capacity of 800 inmates. III-A is designated as a Sensitive Needs Yard. Current programs in this facility include the Orientation Unit, inmate participants in the Mental Health Services Delivery System (MHSDS) at the Enhanced Outpatient Program (EOP) and Correctional Clinical Case Management System (CCCMS) level of care. Facility III-A is also designated for inmates with Mobility Impairments Not Impacting Placement (DNM) Hearing Impairments Not Impacting Placement (DNH) and Disability Requiring Relatively Level Terrain Impacting Placement (DLT). On October 2009 the Administrative Segregation Unit (ASU) EOP/Hub was relocated to 3A04 with a total combined bed capacity of 200 inmates. Current programs in this facility include ASU, EOP/HUB. Basic educational, GED, college, and voluntary self-help programs are also available for the inmates.

On September 18, 2017, Facility 3A Building 3 converted to a Level III SNY EOP program to assist the Department by increasing Level III EOP SNY housing, which is necessary based on the continued growth of the mental health population. In addition, it will facilitate enhanced clustering of the EOP population and provide greater access for out of level inmates pending transfer to lower level housing.

Level IV – General Population

Facility III-B houses inmates with a classification score of 60 and above. Each housing unit is a 270º design facility. Facility III-B has five buildings two which are designated EOP and three are designated CCCMS GP Mental health buildings, with the bed capacity for 1,121 inmates.

Facility III-B is designated as a Sensitive Needs Yard. Current programs in this facility include Orientation Unit, inmate participants in the Mental Health Services Delivery System (MHSDS) at the Enhanced Outpatient Program (EOP) and Correctional Clinical Case Management System (CCCMS) level of care. Facility III-B is also designated for inmates with Mobility Impairments Not Impacting Placement (DNM) Hearing Impairments Not Impacting Placement (DNH) and Disability Requiring Relatively Level Terrain Impacting Placement (DLT). Facility III-B&C also have educational programs from basic educational, GED, college, and voluntary self-help programs are available for the inmates.

Facility III-C houses inmates with a classification score of 60 and above. The design of the individual housing unit is a 270º design facility.

Facility III-C has five buildings with a total combined bed capacity of 1,080 inmates. III-C is designated as a General Population facility.

Administrative Segregation Unit

The Administrative Segregation Unit (ASU) was activated on June 2, 2003. It includes programming space to facilitate custodial and operational needs and also complies with court-mandated and regulated activities such as exercise and on-site medical/mental health delivery systems. The ASU building consists of eight housing sections in single story design, an elevated central control room, and administrative, program and service space within the building. Six of the sections contain 12 cells and 2 contain 14 cells. All sections contain showers, holding cells and adjacent exercise yard modules. Exercise yards are intended to accommodate one or two inmates (from the same cell) with supervision provided by a Correctional Officer, supplemented by closed-circuit television surveillance. ASU also provides educational programs from basic educational, GED, college, and voluntary self-help programs are available for the inmates.

Facility 4A and 4B Security Housing Units

Facilities 4A and 4B Housing units are maximum security 180º design facilities and provide for a variety of special housing programs. The majority of the inmate population in these facilities is the Security Housing Unit (SHU) inmates. Inmates whose conduct endangers the safety of others or the security of the institution are housed in SHU. In most cases, these inmates have committed serious rules violations while housed in a general population setting.

Within the SHU housing facilities, is a specially designated unit: The Medical/Handicap SHU unit which meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It offers maximum security housing with necessary adaptations to the cells and showers for accessibility.

Facility 4A has a bed capacity for 1,024 inmates. The facility currently houses inmates who require protective housing within the Protective Housing Unit (PHU). Facility 4A has a Transitional Housing Unit (THU) for validated prison gang associates/members wishing to disassociate themselves from criminal gang activity. Facility 4A also houses inmates participating in the Developmental Disabled Program (DDP) and Disability Placement Program (DPP) Inmates requiring the use of wheelchairs within the cells.

Facility 4B has four buildings with a bed capacity for 1,005 inmates. Currently, Facility 4B is operating with 1 activated building 4B4, which is a designated level IV SNY EOP facility. Facility 4B houses Inmates whose conduct endangers the safety of others or the security of the institution are housed in SHU. In most cases, these inmates have committed serious rules violations while housed in a general population setting. Facility 4A&4B also have educational programs from basic educational, GED, college, and voluntary self-help programs are available for the inmates.

Prison Industry Authority

The Prison Industry Authority administers a work program for inmates in California correctional institutions to improve their job skills and reduce idleness. The program is fully supported by the sales of products and services to government agencies.

PIA is composed of the "Century 2000" modular office system manufacturing facilities, an institutional laundry, agribusiness enterprises, a warehouse/freight distribution center, industrial maintenance, and repair, in addition to providing Administrative functions to the PIA farm and laundry located at the Wasco State Prison/Reception Center. PIA employs 303 inmates in a private business-like setting throughout CSP-Corcoran.

The "Century 2002" modular office system spans two housing yards (III-B and III-C) and occupies approximately 100,000 square feet of factory floor space. The institutional laundry is operated seven days a week, ten hours per day by rotating crews of Level III inmates. The Warehouse and Distribution Center at Corcoran serves as the central hub of a statewide distribution network. The Agribusiness consists of 400 acres of farmland, a dairy capable of milking 1,800 cows and a milk packaging facility that provides milk for several surrounding institutions.

Medical Services

California Correctional Health Care Services designated COR a “basic care” institution. Basic care institutions maintain a generally healthy patient population with the capability of providing specialty medical services. We maintain 50 licensed beds in our Correctional Treatment Center (CTC), 24 Mental Health Crisis Beds (MHCB), and 14 beds in our Outpatient Housing Unit (OHU). August 16, 2015 COR received national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections. This accreditation program is based on national standards set by the American Correctional Association.

Inmate Programs

PIA: Dairy/milk processing, laundry, warehouse, maintenance repair, on time delivery-central valley branch (OTDC).
Vocational: Computer technology, electronics, machine shop, sheet metal, welding.
Academic: Adult Basic Education, General Education Development (GED), Pre-Release, English Second Language Development, Literacy Program.
Other: Community Service Crews, Youth Diversion, Religious, Arts in Corrections, Victim Awareness.

Prison Industry Authority

The Prison Industry Authority administers a work program for inmates in California correctional institutions to improve their job skills and reduce idleness. The program is fully supported by sales of products and services to government agencies.

PIA is composed of the "Century 2000" modular office system manufacturing facilities, an institutional laundry, agribusiness enterprises, a warehouse/freight distribution center, industrial maintenance and repair, in addition to providing Administrative functions to the PIA farm and laundry located at the Wasco State Prison/Reception Center. PIA employs 303 inmates in a private business-like setting throughout CSP-Corcoran.

visitation Info

CDCR – California State Prison, Corcoran (CSP-COR) – 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:

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

Visitation Guidelines

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.