Week in Review: November 6, 2026

November 6, 2026

In this November 6 Week in Review, we highlight Operation Boo strengthening public safety, cancer awareness events in our institutions and CMC supporting local survivors

In the Community

Statewide giving campaign kicks off across department

The CDCR/CCHCS 2026 Our Promise: California State Giving at Work campaign launched Nov. 1, inviting employees statewide to support communities through charitable giving.

A recent kickoff event at headquarters in Elk Grove brought together more than 20 nonprofit organizations, food trucks, games and therapy dogs. Secretary Macomber and Receiver J. Clark Kelso shared their enthusiasm for Our Promise and thanked staff for their commitment to community service.

Sierra Reach Ministries table at Our Promise kickoff event

Black Youth Leadership Project table at Our Promise kickoff event

Organizers reported nearly double the staff and nonprofit attendance compared with previous years.

Participating nonprofits highlighted growing community needs and praised employees’ engagement and support.

Loaves & Fishes table at Our Promise kickoff event

Gracie the Peer Support Dog at the Our Promise kickoff event

The department’s campaign runs through Nov. 30. Employees can contribute to participating nonprofits through payroll deductions or one-time donations.

Visit the Our Promise website to learn more.

Staff Spotlight

Training, coaching and making a difference

Field Training Sergeant P. Arias portrait

3 Questions with Field Training Sergeant P. Arias

For Field Training Sergeant P. Arias of Wasco State Prison-Reception Center, mentorship extends far beyond the workplace. Whether preparing new officers or coaching young athletes, he believes success starts with hard work, discipline and character.

Q: How do you approach training new staff, and what makes an effective field training experience?

A: I believe in realistic, scenario-based training to prepare officers for situations they may encounter on the job. Working with fellow Field Training Sergeants and Wasco’s Reality Based Alarm Response team, I’ve helped develop active shooter, transportation, escape and mass casualty training. I’ve also traveled to 27 institutions to support training efforts. Effective training must evolve and reflect each institution’s needs.

Q: Outside work, you coach soccer and help young athletes pursue opportunities. What keeps you committed to mentoring?

A: My wife, Tiffany, and I founded Philip Arias Soccer School to create opportunities for players of all abilities and backgrounds. We emphasize work ethic, character and academics alongside athletic development. Seeing former players attend universities such as Stanford, UCLA and UC Davis is rewarding. But the greatest moments are when former players return as parents and ask me to coach their children.

Sergeant Arias acting as coach with youth soccer team

Q: You also support staff and community events. What does making a positive impact mean to you?

A: Making a difference means helping others grow, whether as officers, athletes, students or parents. My family inspires me to do that every day. My wife and children bring joy and support to my life, my parents instilled the values and work ethic guiding me. They remind me of the importance of encouragement, growth and showing up for others. I’m grateful to Wasco staff and administration for creating opportunities to bring people together, support one another and make a positive impact in our community.

Upward Mobility

Brian Allo, appointed Warden, California State Prison, Los Angeles
Kimberly Thornton, appointed Warden, High Desert State Prison

*Listed in alphabetical order by first name

Rehabilitation

CIW celebrates parenting course graduates with family formal

Participants and families at California Institution for Women (CIW) fall family formal celebrating the completion of a 12-week parenting course

California Institution for Women (CIW) at Corona celebrated graduates of a 12-week parenting course with a Fall Family Formal.

Facilitated by CIW’s Mental Health Department, the course helped participants strengthen parenting skills and family relationships. The program was open to the entire incarcerated population.

The course offered a gender-responsive, trauma-informed curriculum designed for incarcerated women. Through cognitive behavioral techniques and exercises, participants strengthened parenting skills to maintain meaningful family connections during incarceration and after release.

Graduates welcomed their families to the celebration in the institution’s visiting area. Parents and children enjoyed arts and crafts, pizza and punch before participants received completion certificates.

The evening ended with families celebrating together on the dance floor.

CIW plans to make the formal an annual tradition. The institution also plans to introduce a Parenting 2.0 master class for graduates.

The efforts support rehabilitation, family engagement and continued personal growth.

Healing Through Arts offers space for reflection

At California Institution for Men (CIM) in Chino, Healing Through Arts gives participants an opportunity to explore personal growth through creativity.

Video link featuring Healing Through Arts participant in art studio

One participant, Ramsey, has been incarcerated since 2018. Through art, he is discovering new ways to reflect, learn and develop self-awareness.

The program encourages participants to slow down and consider their thoughts and responses. Each creative session provides space for reflection and personal discovery.

Working with artistic tools and materials also encourages participants to challenge misconceptions and develop self-respect.

Healing Through Arts offers more than an opportunity to create. It provides a supportive environment where participants can explore new perspectives and express themselves through art.

Division of Adult Parole Operations

Operation Boo strengthens public safety efforts

Parole Agents preparing for Operation Boo

Parole agents from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) fanned out across the state Saturday night as part of Operation Boo, a long-running effort aimed at keeping children and families safe during Halloween trick‑or‑treating.

More than 285 agents from CDCR’s Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO), along with 160 local law enforcement partners, conducted 478 compliance checks and home visits.

As a result, 85 percent of sex offender supervised persons were found in compliance with their parole conditions, ensuring families were safe during trick-or-treating.

Agents also arrested 74 supervised persons for failing to follow their special conditions of parole

READ THE PRESS RELASE

DAPO shares reentry expertise at San Francisco Expo

The Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO) highlighted community partnerships at the 14th annual Reentry Conference and Expo Sept. 18.

The Community Reentry Unit and South Bay Parole District participated in the event, held at St. Mary’s Cathedral Event Center in San Francisco.

Hosted by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the expo brought together more than 150 organizations and professionals.

Tenorio and participants at Reentry Conference and Expo

Wide view of the 14th annual Reentry Conference and Expo

Agent Tenorio joined a panel examining barriers individuals face during reentry. He discussed the importance of partnerships with faith-based organizations and community resource providers.

“True restorative justice requires us to look beyond traditional supervision boundaries,” Tenorio said. “When we partner with local resource providers and faith leaders, we aren’t just managing cases, we are actively rebuilding communities and reducing recidivism from the ground up.”

His presentation highlighted how coordinated support can address housing insecurity and employment challenges. The event reinforced DAPO’s commitment to collaborative rehabilitation and public safety.

Women’s empowerment event celebrates second chances

The Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO) Community Reentry Unit and Central Parole District hosted a Women’s Empowerment event Sept. 22 in Fresno.

Held at Paul Mitchell Beauty School, the event brought women together for a day of encouragement and self-care.

Audience listening at Women's Empowerment event

Manicure station at Women's Empowerment event

Participants enjoyed complimentary manicures, pedicures, hairstyling and facials. Community partners, including Ulta Beauty and Sephora, donated prizes and personal care items.

Project Rebound representative Jennifer Leahy shared her journey from incarceration to helping others pursue higher education. After receiving a life sentence, Leahy transformed her experiences into opportunities to support formerly incarcerated persons.

Community Reentry Unit Parole Agent II Melissa Cutshall coordinated the event with local businesses and community partners.

The gathering celebrated resilience, personal growth and the opportunity for second chances.

In Our Institutions

Avenal walks to support cancer awareness

Staff at Avenal State Prison (ASP) sporting pink for cancer awareness

Staff at Avenal State Prison (ASP) on cancer awareness walk

Avenal State Prison staff and incarcerated persons joined together for cancer awareness walks Oct. 23 and 29.

Staff wore pink shirts and ribbons during the Oct. 23 walk, organized by Captain Heather Blagg. Participants honored survivors, supported those facing cancer and remembered loved ones lost to the disease.

Incarcerated persons from all facilities joined staff for another walk Oct. 29. Facility C’s One Kings Way Band provided music, while participants distributed awareness ribbons and flyers.

Staff and incarcerated persons at Avenal State Prison (ASP) on cancer awareness walk

Band plays music at Avenal State Prison (ASP) for cancer awareness event

Incarcerated participants donated more than $2,000 from their personal accounts to Sisterhood of Survivors, a local foundation.

The events brought the institution together through shared compassion and a commitment to supporting people affected by cancer. Their efforts demonstrated how collective action can make a positive difference beyond prison walls.

ISP raises funds and awareness for cancer support

Staff at Ironwood State Prison (ISP) in Blythe demonstrated their commitment to the fight against cancer through their annual cancer walk.

Before the walk, employees presented the Blythe Cancer Resource Center with a donation exceeding $12,000.

Incarcerated persons contributed to the fundraiser through institution food sales, coordinated by the Community Resources Managers office.

The contribution will help support the center’s work with individuals and families affected by cancer.

The annual walk offered staff an opportunity to come together for a meaningful cause while recognizing those impacted by cancer.

CMC Housewarming Party supports local survivors

CMC staff at housewarming party to support local survivors

Staff from California Men’s Colony (CMC) in San Luis Obispo combined creativity and generosity during their sixth annual Housewarming Party Oct. 29.

Employees from across the institution formed teams and designed themed tables showcasing donations for Lumina Alliance.

The organization supports survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence in San Luis Obispo County. They provide confidential emergency shelter, transitional housing, counseling and crisis support.

CMC Mental Health staff donation table at housewarming party to support local survivors

CMC Warden's office and education staff donation table at housewarming party to support local survivors

The friendly competition featured awards for most creative, best representation of the cause and best overall. The annual event brings employees from across CMC together for a shared purpose. Their contributions support survivors and families pursuing safety and stability.

Staff Appreciation

Headquarters chili cook-off serves

Staff dressed as witches at QM cornbread and chili cook-off

The Elk Grove headquarters Quality Management (QM) team brought staff together for its annual cornbread and chili cook-off.

Headquarters Dental team also joined the festivities.

Staff at QM cornbread and chili cook-off

Employees sampled 12 homemade chilis, including meat and vegetarian options, alongside an assortment of cornbread.

Staff voted for their favorites in three categories.

QM team member Beatrice Santillan created handmade trophies for the winners.

Michael Selby took home two awards, earning Best Meat Chili and Best Cornbread. Karishma Devi won Best Veggie Chili.

The friendly competition offered colleagues an opportunity to connect outside their daily responsibilities.

In the Media

Filmmaker panel at San Quentin Film Festival

San Quentin Film Festival highlights power of storytelling to transform lives behind prison walls

For San Quentin Rehabilitation Center Warden Chance Andes, filmmaking is more than an opportunity for incarcerated people to express themselves. It is part of a fundamental rethinking of what prisons can accomplish, how rehabilitation contributes to public safety and why the ability to tell one’s own story matters for people whose lives have often been defined by their convictions.

Can more organized sports inside prison walls reduce recidivism?

We had a bill that’s got the police chiefs, CCPOA and all the criminal justice reform groups on the same side. And they’re all saying the same thing, which was, “We think this is a really good idea. It’s going to be good for rehabilitation. It’s going to reduce violence inside of prisons. It’s going to make communities safer when people go home.”

Operation Boo ensures child safety on Halloween

Operation Boo is a state public safety initiative conducted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Local parole officers and law enforcement are out on the streets during trick-or-treating hours, ensuring that sex offenders under parole supervision who are not allowed to have contact with minors follow strict regulations.