California Institution for Women (CIW)

• Main Mailing Address: 16756 Chino-Corona Road, Corona, CA 92880
• Institutional Business Correspondence (NO Inmate Mail): 16756 Chino-Corona Road, Corona, CA 92880
• Inmates:
  
  • General Correspondence: 16756 Chino-Corona Road. Corona, CA 92880
  • Money Orders: 16756 Chino-Corona Road, Corona, CA 92880

Visiting an incarcerated person: learn how to visit an incarcerated person at our institutions.

Other Resources: explore family & friends resources, including how to contact or send packages to those incarcerated in our institutions.

• PIA: Clothing and textile manufacturing (shirts, shorts, jeans, smocks, aprons, bedspreads, handkerchiefs, bandanas, Nomex firefighting clothing), Construction.
• Vocational: Computer training, The Last Mile Coding Program, Data Processing, Word Processing, Building Maintenance, Cosmetology.
• Academic: Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED), High School Diploma Program (HSDP), Voluntary Education Program (VEP), Transition Program, Enhanced Outpatient Program (EOP), Chaffey College (Associate degree), Coastline Community College (Associate degree), Palo Verde College (Associate degree), Feather River College (Associate degree) and Adam’s State University (Bachelors of Arts, Bachelors of Science, Masters of Business).
• Other: Alpha Faith-Based Re-entry, Prison Puppy program, Victim Awareness, Substance Use Disorder Treatment (SUDS), Forestry/Camp Training.

DRP Programs
Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT)–Overview
On January 21, 2020, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) implemented ISUDT.  ISUDT is a comprehensive and evidence-based cross-divisional program with pathways to treatment through DRP Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (CBI) programs referred to as:

CBI-Intensive Outpatient (Medical Classification T1, SOMS assignment code ISI) 2-hours/day, 5-days/week, 52-weeks completion

CBI-Outpatient  (Medical Classification T2, SOMS assignment code ISO) 2-hours/day, 3-days/week, 14-weeks completion

CBI-Life Skills (Medical Classification T3, SOMS assignment code CB2) 2-hours/day, 3-days/week, 29-weeks completion

All participants will be assessed by medical and referred to one of the CBI classes.

The California Institution for Women (CIW) is located in San Bernardino County, near the communities of Chino, Chino Hills and Eastvale. The area has a rich agricultural tradition, and is only about an hour from Los Angeles and two hours from San Diego.  For outdoor enthusiasts, there’s Lake Prado where visitors can hike, camp, swim and golf. The city of Chino features Chino Hills State Park with miles of hiking trails, the Planes of Fame Air Museum and a traditional Hindu temple, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir that’s built with Rajasthan sandstone.

Details
The primary mission of the California Institution for Women is to provide a safe and secure environment for primarily Level I/III female offenders.  This mission is further defined by our responsibility to provide quality health care and institution programs specifically geared to meet the special needs of female offenders.  Specialized programs include academic and vocational programs, pre-release and substance abuse programming, pre-forestry and camp training, an arts in corrections program and a wide variety of inmate self-help groups and community betterment projects.

The California Institution for Women accommodates all custody levels of female inmates.  In addition to its large general population, CIW houses inmates with special needs such as pregnancy, psychiatric care, methadone, and medical problems such as HIV infection.

CIW serves as a hub institution for the selection and physical fitness training of female firefighters selected for conservation camp placement.  The institution also serves as a higher security facility for female inmates in Administrative Segregation.

This facility provides both outpatient and inpatient mental health services for patients with a serious mental disorder. The licensed Psychiatric Inpatient Program at this facility is designed to provide more intensive treatment for patients who cannot function adequately or stabilize in an outpatient program.

The California Institution for Women is accredited by The Joint Commission for Ambulatory Care, Behavioral Health Care, and Nursing Care Center Programs.

History
Until 1987, CIW was California’s only prison for female felons.  It was originally called “Frontera,” a feminine derivative of the word frontier – a new beginning.  The campus-like design was in keeping with the 1950’s progressive notion of rehabilitation.

• Institution Statistics (SB601), Operational Performance Measures (COMPSTAT) and Inmate Population Reports

Lavelle Parker has been acting Warden for the California Institution for Women (CIW) since March 2024. Parker began his career in law enforcement at the California State Prison Los Angeles County (LAC), where he dedicated 20 years of service. At LAC, he lad various positions such as Correctional Officer, Correctional Counselor I, Correctional Counselor II (Supervisor), and eventually attaining the role of Correctional Captain.

Jim Elliot began his State Service by being appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), for the California Institution for Women (CIW), which is responsible for the delivery of all Health Care Services (Medical, Mental-Health & Dental), in July 5, 2010. Jim is a thirty year healthcare executive with experience ranging from Rehabilitation Hospital Administrator, Chief Administrative Officer for a local medical school & health sciences university, and Director of Operations for a Federally Qualified, Community-Clinic system with an emphasis on Women’s Health prior to entering state service. Mr. Elliot is a Certified Correctional Health Care Professional (CCHP), by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

Mr. Elliot championed the development and activation of CDCR’s first licensed Psychiatric-Inpatient-Program (PIP), in 2012, coupled with CDCR’s inaugural Joint-Commission Accreditation in Behavioral Health, the development of the patient-centered, Complete-Care-Model (CCM), which is integrated with a robust multi-disciplinary, quality-management system, and in piloting California Correctional Health Care’s first electronic health record system, (The ECHOS Project), in October 2015.

In March of 2017, CIW’s Medical Services were delegated back to CDCR from California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS), commonly known as the Receivership, by the Federal Court. CIW’s health care team continues to care for CDCR’s high-risk women with the greatest needs in all divisions and disciplines of health care.

Local Inmate Family Councils (IFC’s) are a gathering of family and friends of the incarcerated who meet regularly with Wardens to support visiting since keeping strong family connections with loved ones is a powerful rehabilitative tool. These IFC’s promote visiting by clarifying rules and regulations as well as discussing health, education, vocational training, packages, books, and related issues. For more information on connecting with a local IFC, please visit the Statewide IFC website.