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Netherlands officials tour two CDCR prisons

Netherlands touring two CDCR prisons.
Ministry of Justice officials from the Netherlands toured two CDCR prisons in Soledad.

Officials from the Netherlands Ministry of Justice recently toured the Correctional Training Facility (CTF) and Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) in Soledad.

The tours, led by CTF Public Information Officer Lt. Landrum and SVSP Lt. Fonseca, aimed to explore how CDCR manages large prison populations and offers innovative programs.

Netherlands Ministry of Justice learns CDCR methods

The visiting officials focused on CTF’s non-designated programming facilities and observed how SVSP supports the California Model. They were impressed by pillars of the California Model including normalization and dynamic security.

“We’re amazed at how California manages such large populations while offering so many programs, promoting family reunification, and supporting staff wellness,” said one Netherlands official. “We hope to take some of these concepts back to our system.”

The visit left the Netherlands delegation inspired, saying they plan to explore some of CDCR’s successful strategies in their own correctional facilities.

Story by David Maldonado, Deputy Chief
Strategic Communications and External Affairs
Office of Public and Employee Communications

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