California Rehabilitation Center to Close by Fall 2026

SACRAMENTO - Responding to projections of lower prison populations in future years and providing for needed cost savings, today, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced the plans to close the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Riverside County by Fall 2026.

CDCR is committed to managing its resources responsibly to enhance public safety and best serve the people of California. California's 2025-26 budget called for a prison closure, one of many challenging actions required to address the state's fiscal position. The full deactivation of CRC is projected to save the state approximately $150 million in annual General Fund spending.

CDCR is taking every effort to mitigate the impact on staff, volunteers, and the population throughout the deactivation process. The state will provide support to the affected local community and workforce with an economic resiliency plan.

Declining prison population

The adult prison population has steadily declined in recent years, which has allowed CDCR to eliminate its reliance on in-state and out-of-state contract prison capacity, and the lease of the California City Correctional Facility.

The CDCR incarcerated population is at its lowest point since the late 1980s. Today's population is roughly 91,000. As recently as 2006, the population was more than 173,000.

CDCR has previously closed three institutions: Deuel Vocational Institution (Tracy), California Correctional Center (Susanville), and Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (Blythe). Lastly, the department has deactivated 11 facilities, portions of 2 facilities, and 42 housing units across 11 prisons.

Combined, these recent closures and deactivations, along with administrative savings, result in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings.

About CRC

CRC is a Level II medium-security correctional facility with an inmate population consisting of felon commitments. There are currently 1,191 staff, and approximately 2,766 people incarcerated at the institution.

The building now housing CRC opened in 1928 as the Lake Norconian Club, a luxury hotel. In December 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt turned the resort into a Naval hospital. The federal government donated the hospital to the state in 1962 for use as a narcotics center and in the 1980s it also began to house incarcerated people.

About CDCR

CDCR and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) manage one of the largest, most diverse correctional systems in the world. With the closure of CRC, CDCR will now operate 30 prisons statewide.

More information on CDCR's reduction and closure efforts can be found on our website: Reduction/Closure Information - Prison Closures

California Rehabilitation Center B-roll Links

CRC Blurred - https://vimeo.com/750154714

CRC-California Rehabilitation Center drone aerials-2022 - https://vimeo.com/779280065

CRC-California Rehabilitation Center drone aerials-2022 - https://vimeo.com/776236045

CA Rehabilitation Center - https://vimeo.com/743205590

CRC Health Group // Maddie's Story - https://vimeo.com/39644204