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California State Prison, Centinela (CEN)
Aerial view of California State Prison, Centinela. CLICK to download a copy. Hit browser <back> arrow to return to this page.

Warden Almager
Victor Almager, Warden

Physical Address:
2302 Brown Road
Imperial, CA  92251

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 731
Imperial, CA  92251-0731
(760) 337-7900


California State Prison, Centinela - Mission Statement

The mission of Centinela State Prison is to provide long-term confinement to men who have been convicted of felonious crimes and remanded to the State of California for incarceration.  Inmate productivity and self improvement are considered integral components to Centinela’s overall objective to reduce recidivism among those inmates incarcerated at our institution.


Institution Details

Centinela State Prison attempts to achieve inmate productivity and self improvement by providing legally mandated work and study opportunities for all inmates (AB 1403-Chapter One, Statutes of 1982).  This goal is accomplished through the development of support services, academic education, vocational instruction, and the availability of self-help programming.

Centinela also has an Institutional Hearing Program (IHP) which prepares inmates who are illegal immigrants for release back to their native lands through the US Immigration and Naturalization Services.

Institution Statistics

Centinela State Prison was opened in October 1993, and covers  2,000 acres.  As of Fiscal Year 2007/2008, the following statistics apply:

Number of custody staff:
805

Number of support services staff:
461

Total number of staff:
1,266

 
 

Annual operating budget:

Institution:
$125.6 million

Medical:
$29.1 million

Education:
$6.3 million

 
 



Designed Bedspace & Count
Facility Level
Design Capacity
Count

Level I and Firehouse
208
408

Level III and CTC
2,000
4,339

ADSEG
175
350

Total
2,383
5,097




Special Historical Notes

The institution, originally referred to as California State Prison-Imperial South, was renamed Centinela State Prison by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors.

Centinela State Prison was named for Mount Signal, the mountain located on the US Mexico international line once used to watch over the state's borders to prevent unauthorized passage into the US. Centinela is the Spanish word for "Sentinel" or signal.


photograph of Mount Signal / El Centinela
Mount Signal / El Centinela
(c) Photograph by Anastasia Vellas


Inmate Programs
  • Vocational: Air conditioning and refrigeration, auto body repair and refinishing, auto mechanics, carpentry, computer and related technology, computer technician, dry cleaning, drywall, electrical electronics, garment making, graphic arts and printing, landscaping and gardening, maintenance, masonry, mechanical drawing, mill and cabinet, office machine repair, office services, plumbing, small engine repair.
  • Academic: Adult Basic Education, High School/GED, Pre-Release, English as a Second Language, Literacy Program and College Correspondence.
  • Other:  Community Service Crews, Youth Diversion, Religious, Arts in Corrections, Victim Awareness, Bicycle Refurbishing, Alternatives to Violence Workshops, Parenting classes, Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous, Creative Conflict Resolution Workshops, Victim Offender Reconciliation Program, Life Without a Crutch Curriculum, Lifer Programming, Kairos Christian Fellowship and Prison Fellowship Transitional Discipleship Program.

Visiting Information
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Designated Holidays*
from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

* New Year's Day, Independence Day,
Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas


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