Staff, volunteers make Halloween visiting special

CDCR staff across California worked with the incarcerated population and family council volunteers to make visiting special for Halloween.

Editor’s note: This story will be updated as more submissions are received. These stories were added in the order they were received so the latest submissions will be near the bottom of this roundup.

CIW holds special Halloween visiting event

The California Institution for Women (CIW) visiting staff recently held a Halloween celebration for the families of the incarcerated population, creating a memorable day filled with fun. The festive event featured a variety of family-friendly activities, including face painting, pumpkin decorating, themed scavenger hunt, costume parade, and costume contest. Children enjoyed a safe and joyful environment, leaving with smiles on their faces and their hands full of treats. The Halloween celebration was an opportunity for families to create positive memories together, reinforcing CIW’s commitment to supporting meaningful family and community relationships.

Submitted by Lt. W. Newborg
Written by Sgt. J. Drysol

Centinela hosts Halloween contest for families

Centinela State Prison visiting staff hosted a Halloween event for the incarcerated population and their loved ones. Family members were offered the opportunity to engage in arts and crafts activities by painting pumpkins.

Children were able to dress up like their favorite superheroes. Each facility had a judging panel consisting of the visiting supervisors, an incarcerated individual and a family member. 

There were plenty of laughs, smiles, and a sense of community.

“I am beyond thankful for the staff who put this together and allowed us to connect with our loved ones in such an amazing way,” said an incarcerated individual. “I got to see my children smile like I’ve never seen before.”

At the end of the event, staff provided treat bags to the children.

“I’m glad the hours dedicated in coordinating this event paid dividends. The smiles on everybody’s faces made it worth it,” said visiting Lt. L. Verdugo.

Submitted by Lt. S. Cazares

Ironwood hosts ‘Hocus Pocus’ for visiting families

Ironwood State Prison’s visiting staff collaborated with the family council to host a “Hocus Pocus” themed Halloween event. Children were encouraged to arrive in costume. Families joined together for karaoke, crafts, and candy to celebrate the occasion.

Submitted by Lt. C. Whalen

Calipatria gets help from carpentry students

Calipatria State Prison’s (CAL) visiting rooms were full of happy painted faces and costumes over the weekend. The Halloween visiting event held at CAL last weekend was one for the books.

This year, the incarcerated population came up with an idea to ensure the visiting event was more meaningful than the last. Incarcerated Persons in Mr. Rangel’s Career Technical Education Carpentry Class offered to make crafts out of scrap wood left over from class projects. The crafts could then be painted by families during visits over Halloween weekend.

In September, they communicated their idea to the incarcerated persons’ family council who then made contact with CAL’s Administration. Soon the idea was moving forward as pumpkins, bats, ghosts, and witch hats were cut and sanded in preparation for the event.

On Oct. 26, superheroes, clowns, and princesses entered CAL to visit their loved ones and enjoyed painting the wooden crafts created by the carpentry students.

Feedback on Calipatria Halloween visiting

“I was really excited to show my family something I made in class that we got to paint together,” said a carpentry student.

For weeks, Custody Capt. C. Pankratz coordinated with the instructor, the family council and visiting staff to make sure it all came together.

“It sure was a treat to see this great idea and the final result,” said Pankratz. “My favorite was the pumpkin with the baby footprints.”

Another student enrolled in the carpentry class said working with wood was rehabilitative in multiple ways.

“I really enjoy this class, it’s like therapy,” he said. “Mr. Rangel is teaching us valuable (skills) we can use in the workforce. It was fun making this for the families.”

According Visiting Sgt. V. Gallaga, these events are beneficial for everyone involved, including staff.

“Visiting is always so busy but (during) special events, it seems to be when families and my staff are most excited,” Gallaga said. “This Halloween event was fun.”

Submitted by Lt. E. Uribe

California Institution for Men makes Halloween events special

The California Institution for Men (CIM) visiting celebrated Halloween with incarcerated members and their families. Visiting children dressed up in their favorite costumes and received a trick or treat goodie bag. The bags were filled with candy by the visiting staff.

Activities for the event included arts and crafts as well as photos with a Halloween backdrop.

Pumpkins for the families were donated by California Polytechnic State University, more commonly known as Cal Poly.

Submitted by Lt. I. Vera

Bootastic Halloween at Mule Creek

Mule Creek State Prison visiting staff hosted a Bootastic Halloween event Oct. 26 and report it was a great success. Children were invited to participate in a Halloween costume contest. Prizes for the contest winners were donated by the family council.

“We would like to acknowledge Naomi Petersen for coordinating with the Amador Flower Farm and thank the farm for their generous donation of pumpkins,” according to organizers. “The pumpkins were distributed to each of the kids to enjoy at home.”

The Community Resource Manager’s office donated Halloween candy for the kids to enjoy.

Submitted by Lt. B. Campbell

Halloween at Wasco State Prison-Reception Center

Wasco State Prison-Reception Center (WSP-RC) held Halloween events for the incarcerated population on facilities A and M Saturday, Oct. 26. The events were sponsored by the family council. Children were allowed to wear their costumes while visiting adults wore their favorite Halloween t-shirts. Families took pictures with Halloween props, face painting and doing Halloween crafts.

Visiting staff assisted with two games: pin the eye on the monster and a witch-hat toss game. Each child received a Halloween party favor once their visit was over.

“Visiting staff would like to thank the family council members for making this a successful event for the families and incarcerated population at WSP-RC,” said organizers.

Submitted by Lt. J. Farley

KVSP hosts trunk-or-treat for kids visiting their incarcerated parent

Visiting staff got into the Halloween spirit by offering trunk-or-treat to children visiting incarcerated persons at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP). On a designated visiting day before Halloween, staff decorated the trunk of a vehicle with an overgrown spider with webs. Visiting staff passed out candy to kids and family who came to KVSP. The kids had big smiles on their faces as they got to interact with custody staff. All KVSP’s visiting rooms for incarcerated persons were decorated with a Halloween theme. Decorations were used for the family photos taken that day, and the decorations were gifted to the children prior to leaving the institution. Trunk-or-treat was a success for everyone involved.

Submitted by Lt. J. Hernandez

Central California Women’s Facility hosts Halloween fun

Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla held a Halloween celebration in the visiting area for families of the incarcerated population. The event featured activities like face painting, coloring, and the new slide-and-swing play set donated by the Kenny Clark Foundation. This play set will bring much joy to the children visiting the incarcerated population at CCWF. The staff who participated in the event handed out candy and cookies to the families who attended. The event also nurtured team building and community connection. Also, Associate Director Angela Kent and Warden Anissa De La Cruz were pleased with the progression of the California Model beautification project. A family member of an incarcerated individual said they really enjoyed the event and watching the children during the visit.

Submitted by Lt. M.D. Williams
Story and photos by Maria Sandoval, Community Resource Manager’s office

CRC hosts Halloween-themed visiting

The California Rehabilitation Center at Norco hosted a Halloween themed event. According to the Visiting Unit, the event was a success. The incarcerated persons’ families displayed their fun and festive spirit by wearing their favorite Halloween t-shirts. Each child in attendance was also able to take home a large pumpkin for carving.

“We loved seeing their smiles when they chose a pumpkin from the patch set up inside the visiting area,” organizers said. “Along with pumpkins, they also received crayons, coloring booklets and goodies. The success of this event was possible due to the generous donations received and all visiting staff’s efforts.”

Submitted by Lt. Joe Lopez

High Desert hosts trunk-or-treat for visiting families

High Desert State Prison hosted a family-friendly Halloween event for visiting families.

In coordination with the High Desert State Prison Incarcerated Family Council, the prison hosted its annual trunk or treat for the families visiting their incarcerated loved ones. Children dressed in costumes and spent the day with fun and laughter. 

Families were greeted by Investigative Service Unit staff with their K-9s and Halloween goodies.  The families enjoyed games, Halloween movies, face painting, coloring, trick-or-treating and received Halloween prizes.

Visiting rooms were decorated so families could enjoy taking memorable photographs.

“Trunk-or-treat was a success for everyone,” said organizers.

Submitted by Lt. J. Micone

CCI Tehachapi brings Halloween to visiting rooms

California Correctional Institution (CCI) at Tehachapi staff collaborated with the Facility C incarcerated population to bring Halloween festivities to visiting rooms. Incarcerated artists used their creativity and talent to paint Halloween backdrops. The visiting rooms displayed the art for families to enjoy and use for pictures.

Incarcerated persons also successfully grew pumpkins which staff used to decorate the front entrance for everyone to enjoy. Families of the incarcerated population joined CCI for a great Halloween event Nov. 1. The incarcerated family council and visiting staff collaborated to bring Halloween festivities to the visiting rooms. Visiting family were also able to take home a pumpkin.

Submitted by Lt. A. Hart

Avenal State Prison makes Halloween visiting special

Avenal State Prison Visiting staff and the incarcerated family council came together to create a weekend of holiday-themed crafts for the families. The room buzzed with activity as families sat around small tables covered in Halloween arts and crafts supplies. Stickers in the shapes of bats, ghosts, and witches were meticulously placed on blank backgrounds, slowly forming a spooky scene delighting children and adults alike.

In one corner, a mother and her children colored intricate designs in Halloween coloring books, their tongues sticking out in concentration. Across the room, a father playfully posed with his kids in front of a Halloween-themed backdrop, capturing a moment of joy. One family attendee approached the staff and expressed gratitude for the activities.

“Thank you for organizing these crafts,” she said. “It really helps create a sense of normalcy for my kids and for me and my husband. It makes coming here a joy.”

Submitted by Lt. A. Schuller

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