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Office of the Inspector General Website

We Provide Transparency
To safeguard the integrity of the State’s correctional system, we work to provide oversight and transparency concerning the policies and practices of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. We achieve this by monitoring the department’s activities, reporting on them, and making recommendations to the department.
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We emphasize integrity and transparency. Join us as we continue to implement these values in California's correctional system. See our career opportunities below.
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Report Improper Government Activity
If you have witnessed or know of any misconduct within the operations of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, please report the information to us below.
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Our Latest Reports
We summarize our monitoring activities as they concern the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and its operations. Our reports highlight significant issues occurring within the State's prison system, as well as our recommendations to the department.
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LATEST REPORTS

Sierra Conservation Center Cycle 7 Medical Inspection Report

Sierra Conservation Center Cycle 7 Medical Inspection Report

2025-12-08 10:54:14

This report contains our assessment of the medical care provided to incarcerated people at Sierra Conservation Center between March and August 2024. We rated the case review component of the overall health care quality inadequate and the compliance component of the overall health care quality inadequate.

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Staff Misconduct Monitoring Report, January – June 2025

Staff Misconduct Monitoring Report, January – June 2025

2025-12-03 12:34:12

This report summarizes the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s performance in conducting internal investigations and handling employee discipline cases we monitored and closed from January 1, 2025, through June 30, 2025. This report combines two reports we have historically issued as separate reports and covers all staff misconduct investigations we monitored regardless of the manner in which the allegations were reported – allegations the department’s hiring authorities referred for investigation and allegations incarcerated people raised via the grievance and appeal process. Of the 199 administrative disciplinary and criminal cases we monitored and closed, we rated the department’s overall performance adequate in 28 cases, improvement needed in 85 cases, and inadequate in 86 cases. Of the 89 staff misconduct complaint cases we monitored and closed, we rated the department’s overall performance adequate in 10 cases, improvement needed in 31 cases, and inadequate in 48 cases.

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Mule Creek State Prison Cycle 7 Medical Inspection Report

Mule Creek State Prison Cycle 7 Medical Inspection Report

2025-10-02 09:55:21

This report contains our assessment of the medical care provided to incarcerated people at Mule Creek State Prison between February and July 2024. We rated the case review component of the overall health care quality adequate and the compliance component of the overall health care quality adequate.

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California State Prison, Sacramento Cycle 7 Medical Inspection Report

California State Prison, Sacramento Cycle 7 Medical Inspection Report

2025-09-30 09:51:52

This report contains our assessment of the medical care provided to incarcerated people at California State Prison, Sacramento between December 2023 and May 2024. We rated the case review component of the overall health care quality inadequate and the compliance component of the overall health care quality inadequate.

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Audit of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Management of Temperature Conditions Within California’s Prisons

Audit of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Management of Temperature Conditions Within California’s Prisons

2025-09-11 09:59:19

In this audit, we assessed the department’s effectiveness in managing extreme temperatures that occur in California’s prisons. We reviewed departmental policies and procedures relative to the management of temperatures in prisons including the department’s heat plan, which requires prison staff to document temperatures in housing units daily to determine whether staff must take protective measures for incarcerated people taking medications that may make them sensitive to the heat and cause heat-related illnesses, including death. We also examined some contributing factors impacting the prisons’ ability to maintain temperatures in housing units within the departmental guidelines, such as aging heating and cooling systems and maintenance challenges.

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Providing Transparency

The Office of the Inspector General safeguards the integrity of the State’s correctional system by providing oversight and transparency regarding the policies and practices of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. We carry out this mission through diligent monitoring, honest assessment, and dedication to improving the correctional system of our State. 

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Our Promise

We promise to do our best to assist in safeguarding the integrity of the State’s correctional system. If you have witnessed or know of any misconduct within the operations of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, please report the information to us, below.

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CDCR Prohibited Publications List

Beginning January 1, 2025, Penal Code section 6130 requires the Office of the Inspector General to publish the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (department) Centralized List of Disapproved Publications on the OIG’s website. The list, which is updated on a monthly basis, is also available on the department’s website. Existing law grants incarcerated people the right to purchase, receive, and read publications (newspapers, periodicals, and books), subject to restrictions reasonably related to legitimate penological interests. The department’s disapproved publications list includes the publications that the department has prohibited because they violate department regulations. Penal Code section 6130 permits the OIG to review publications on the list to determine if the office concurs with the department’s determination that the publication is in violation of department regulations.

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Retaliation Claims Review

The OIG reviews complaints that departmental employees submit alleging that they have been retaliated against because they reported improper governmental activity.

Medical Inspections

The OIG uses a unique combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods to ensure a thorough assessment of medical care for those individuals within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation who have the greatest need for medical services. The OIG performs medical inspections in cycles. During each cycle, the OIG inspects the medical care at each California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation adult institution. After each inspection, the OIG publishes a report of each California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation institution’s medical inspection results to the public OIG website. The OIG also submits copies of these reports to the entities involved in the assessment or provision of medical care within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The OIG medical inspections are mandated by California Penal Code section 6126. The OIG does not assess the constitutionality of medical care in the prison setting; that determination is made by the federal court and the federal receiver. The OIG medical inspections represent one of several factors the federal court and the federal receiver consider when they decide if the medical care in California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation institutions meets constitutional standards.

Blueprint Monitoring

The OIG reviews reforms identified by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s 2012 plan, The Future of California Corrections: A Blueprint to Save Billions of Dollars, End Federal Court Oversight, and Improve the Prison System (which was revised in 2016), and reports on the department’s progress in implementing key goals, including the percentage of inmates served in rehabilitative programs.

Authorized Special Reviews

At the request of the Governor, the Assembly, or the Senate, the OIG conducts special reviews of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation policies, practices, or procedures.

Use-of-Force Monitoring

The OIG monitors the department’s handling of use-of-force incidents and inmate allegations of unreasonable force by attending the department’s review committee meetings at every adult institution and juvenile facility, as well as northern and southern parole regions. Our inspectors independently determine whether the department’s staff actions were reasonable under the circumstances and were within the bounds of the department’s policy and training. Although our inspectors are “nonvoting” attendees at the review committee meetings, we regularly provide real-time feedback and recommendations on compliance-related matters.

Employee Discipline Monitoring

The OIG evaluates the department’s internal investigations regarding alleged employee misconduct, assesses the legal advice provided by department attorneys to investigators and hiring authorities, and evaluates the departmental attorneys’ performances in representing the department at disciplinary hearings. The OIG advises the public regarding the adequacy of each investigation and whether the discipline is warranted.
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Critical Incidents Monitoring

The OIG monitors critical incidents at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation institutions and facilities or involving its staff, such as uses of deadly force, unexpected inmate deaths, hunger strikes, and large-scale riots. We evaluate how the department responds to and handles the incidents, and also identify potential staff misconduct and recommend policy implementation or improvement relative to the incidents.

Warden & Superintendent Vetting

The OIG evaluates the qualifications of every candidate whom the Governor nominates for appointment as a warden at an adult correctional institution or as a superintendent at a juvenile facility and the Inspector General reports the recommendation regarding each candidate’s qualifications in confidence to the Governor. 

Sexual Abuse Monitoring

The OIG receives complaints related to the Sexual Abuse in Detention Elimination Act (SADEA) and the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), and reviews allegations of mishandled sexual abuse inquiries or investigations within correctional institutions.

Complaint Intake Review

The OIG maintains a statewide complaint intake process to address concerns from any individual regarding allegations of improper activity within the department. We maintain a toll-free telephone number for inmates, wards, and the public to communicate with our office. If you have witnessed or know of any misconduct within the operations of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, please report the information to us below.
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Rehabilitation Oversight
(C-ROB)

The Inspector General acts as Chair to the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board (C-ROB), which examines the department’s rehabilitation and treatment programs.
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Staff Complaint Monitoring

The OIG provides contemporaneous oversight and evaluation of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s process for reviewing and conducting inquiries of incarcerated persons’ allegations of staff misconduct and other grievances.

Audits

The OIG conducts audits of the policies, practices, and procedures of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (the department). Our audits provide objective analysis, findings, and conclusions to assist the department with, among other things, improving its operations, reducing costs, initiating corrective action, and contributing to public accountability. An audit may focus on operational activities throughout the department and might examine the department as a whole or be limited to specific institutions, divisions, or offices. If we identify areas for improvement, we make recommendations such as training or policy changes or additions. Those recommendations, as well as our findings are included in public reports posted on this website.

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Language Access

It is the policy of the California Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to provide service in the language of our customers.

If you feel that we have not provided you with adequate interpretation services or have denied you an available translated document, please complete and submit the OIG’s Language Access Complaint Process and Complaint Form, available in English and Spanish.