California Jail Mailing Addresses

How to contact an inmate in California.

Via Letter
Anyone can write a letter to someone in a California state prison. Before you send your letter, prison guards will open it and check for things they don’t allow. To get your letter to the inmate faster, write this information on the envelope:

• Inmate’s full name
• Their CDC number (you can call the prison to get this)
• The prison’s name
• The prison’s P.O. Box (check below to find it)
• City, CA
• ZIP code
• If you don’t know the inmate’s CDC number or which prison they’re in, call the prison’s Public Information Officer (PIO) or inmate locator. Their phone numbers are listed somewhere (check below it find it).

If you still can’t find the prison, call the Department’s ID Warrants unit at (916) 445-6713. They might ask for the inmate’s date of birth if their name is common. Important: This unit won’t tell you which prison the inmate is in.

Via Mail
Below, you’ll find the special mailing addresses for inmates in each California state prison. We’ve also listed phone numbers for the prison’s spokesperson (Public Information Officer) and, in some cases, where to find information on where an inmate is being held (inmate locator unit).

Via Phone
Most prisoners can use phones to make outgoing calls, but the person receiving the call has to pay. If you’re writing to someone in prison, you can give them your phone number so they can call you collect. They’ll have to start the call, and the calls are only last a duration of 15 minutes.