CDCR – San Quentin State Prison (SQ)

CDCR – San Quentin State Prison (SQ) basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 415-454-1460

This facility is for adult inmates.

The inmates housed at San Quentin State Prison located at 1 Main St in San Quentin, 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.

San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is California’s oldest and best-known state prison, which was established on the site currently known as Point San Quentin, in July of 1852. San Quentin housed both male and female inmates until 1933 when the women’s prison at Tehachapi was built.

The prison rests overlooking the bay on 432 acres and is located just 12 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. The walled prison is made up of four large cell blocks (West, South, North, and East Block), one maximum security cell block (the Adjustment Center), Central Health Care Service Building, a medium security dorm setting and a minimum security firehouse.

The state's only gas chamber and death row for all male condemned inmates are located at San Quentin.

visitation Info

CDCR – San Quentin State Prison (SQ) – 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.