Introduction

Deciding to become a teaching artist for justice-impacted people is a big step towards self-growth, and also makes a meaningful impact on the lives of people who might have never been exposed to the arts. This Primer introduces basic prison structure and nomenclature to help you make the most effective use of your time, effort, and talents.

The Prisons

Levels

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has four levels of security for prison yards. These are designated by numbers. From a 1 (lowest) to a 4 (highest). Knowing the level of prison yard you are going to lets you know what to expect regarding a participant’s ability to get out of their housing unit for group, the likelihood of a lockdown or modified program, and the level of stress that participants are living under.

  • Level I –  Low security; dorm living
    • Examples are fire camps. People at this level may also live outside of or without prison walls.
  • Level II –  Low security; dorm or cell living San Quentin, Folsom, Mule Creek
    • Examples are San Quentin, Folsom, and Mule Creek.
  • Level III – Medium security; usually cell living
    • An example is CSP-Solano. *Solano is has both Level II and Level III yards.
  • Level IV – High security; cell living
    • An example is High Desert. *High Desert had both Level III and Level IV yards.

General Population

General population inmates are typically those who do not require special security measures or housing arrangements due to factors such as behavioral issues, safety concerns, or specific programming needs.

Special Needs Yard (SNY)

SNY is a designation for incarcerated people who have safety concerns regarding living on a General Population (GP) yard. There can be any number of different reasons for this: sex crimes (PC290); leaving their gang; testifying or telling on another person; forced removal from a General Population Yard for debt, drug use, gambling, disrespect, or any number of other prison perceived faux pas. Someone housed on an Special Needs Yard cannot, typically, return to a General Population Yard.

Non-Designated Programming Facilities (NDPF) 50/50 Yards

NDPFs, or 50/50 yards, house people together regardless of their GP or SNY status to afford incarcerated people greater access to rehabilitative programs. Assignment to these facilities is made only after careful review of each individual’s case factors, potential safety concerns, and housing/rehabilitation needs to ensure people can safely program together. Someone housed in a Non-Designated Programming Facility cannot, typically, return to a General Population Yard.

Watches

The shifts at CDCR are divided into watches: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Your groups and performances will typically be held during 2nd or 3rd watch.  (The system also runs on military time, for example 9 am is called 0900 hours and 9 pm is called 2100 hours.)

1st Watch – 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (2200 to 0600)2nd Watch – 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. (0600 to 1400)3rd Watch – 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. (1400 to 2200)

Correctional Staff

Being able to identify correctional staff is essential to navigating the yard and delivering services to participants. These are broken down into custody and free staff.

Custody

Custody staff are correctional officers and their superiors. You can usually tell an officer’s rank by insignia either on the upper sleeves of their uniforms or on their collars. Here they are from the bottom on up:

Correctional Officers – typically do not have any special insignia  Sergeants – have chevrons on their upper sleeves Uniform Chevrons - LASD/CDCR - Medium Gold on Black - 3-inch wide -  Sergeant - Pair  
Lieutenants – have a single bar on each side of their collars.Blackinton Large Lieutenant Bars A lieutenant that you may see or interact with is the Public Information Officer (PIO). The PIO is also responsible for escorting media for our programs.  Captains – have double bars on each side of their collarsLawPro Collar Metal Rank Insignia, Captain  

You can also tell the seniority of staff by hashes on the forearms of their sleeves. Each Hash denotes 3 years of service. CDCR Service Stripe Hashmarks (Medium Gold on Black)

There are Associate Wardens (AW’s) and the Warden above uniformed staff, but they are not easily identified because they don’t typically wear uniforms. Photos of the Warden, AW’s and other senior staff are displayed at the prison entry.

Free Staff

Free staff are all non-custody staff. They do not wear uniforms. You may meet or interact with:

  • Community Resource Manager (CRM) – They are the main point of contact for our programs. They nominally direct and supervise  in-prison programs including arts, religious, and other self-help programs.
  • Office Technician – There are many OTs, but you will work with the OT that works directly under the CRM
  • Sponsor – This free staff will help you in getting doors unlocked, calling participants to group, and with accountability (sign-in) sheets. Most prisons require a sponsor to be present for arts programming.

Volunteers

The CDCR considers Teaching Artists to be “Volunteers” even if they are paid by an organization other than CDCR.

Other Important Info about Staff

On evenings and weekends, the prison’s policy is generally dictated by a lieutenant called the Watch Commander. They make the on-the-scene calls regarding programs. During this time, lieutenants are also the highest-ranking staff on the yards. But, you will mostly be interacting with correctional officers and sergeants.

Terminology

Just like in Shakespeare plays, there is a ton of language used in California prisons. The Reporter’s Glossary of Prison Jargon is a great resource to learn some of the language.

There are some terms that you may encounter that will directly affect the groups and programs you will be facilitating inside. Here are a few of them:

  • CDCR – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. All California prisons are staffed and managed by the CDCR.
  • Lockdown – This means that the prison or yard has been put on high security. Programs do not typically run when this is in effect.
  • Modified Program – A yard can go on modified program for many reasons ranging from being short on custody staff to an investigation of a violent incident. Because of this wide range, your program may or may not be affected.
  • Count – This happens at around 3:30 pm daily as well as several times during the night/early morning, the staff counts all residents, who must be in their living quarters. See Close Custody counts below.
  • Outcount – With staff permission, residents may attend programs during Count; they may not be released until count has cleared and the Teaching Artist and/or sponsor may not leave until the count is cleared.
  • Fog Line / Fog Count – This happens on foggy days. Custody calls a fog line when it is difficult to see the fence lines. In general, no programs can be run during a fog line. A fog line will not clear until a fog count is completed.
  • Ducats, Passes, and Work Cards – When a person is approved to be a participant in a rehabilitative program, they are typically assigned to that program in SOMS (see below). The participant will then be issued a work card with their name, the program, and the program’s days and hours. This work card is usually valid until the end of the program’s session. Participants are also sometimes issued paper passes or ducats for the same purpose, for example, on a Shakespeare performance day for a date or times outside of the weekly schedule. These passes will usually be issued weekly.  Generally, if someone does not have a work card or ducat to be in a specific place, they will be considered out of bounds, which can result in a disciplinary 115 write-up.
  • Custody Levels – There are 6 custody classifications for incarcerated people in California. These include (from the most supervision to the least) Maximum, Close, Medium A, Medium B, Minimum A, Minimum B.
    • Maximum – Direct physical control of a person by staff at all times. Someone in this custody designation will not be allowed to participate in programming or interact with teaching artists or volunteers.
    • Close – They are required to live in cells and have consistent custody supervision. They are allowed to participate in programs, however they are also required to be in their cells for a Close Custody Count this typically happens at 12 noon and at 8 p.m. This requirement may have an impact on their programming.
    • Medium and Minimum – Taken together for the sake of brevity, they can live in cells or dorms, and there are no special restrictions that would typically affect their participation in programming.
    • Additionally, you may see people in orange.  This designates people in Reception, who are waiting to be placed in more permanent housing in a CDCR facility.
  • Vests – Many inmates wear plastic mesh vests that are usually a neon green or yellow. These are used to identify them as someone with ADA needs. The type of need is usually printed in bold letters on the back of the vest. The most common vests are: Mobility Impaired; Vision Impaired; Hearing Impaired.
  • Escort – Prison staff (typically custody) may escort outside staff, guests, and volunteers to ensure their safety and that they reach their destination within the prison.
    • Outside media, photographers, and camera people must always be escorted by the prison PIO.
    • Incarcerated people may also be under escort for a variety of reasons. If an incarcerated person is being escorted individually, under no circumstances should you approach. This is for your safety and theirs.
  • RAC Credits — Rehabilitative Achievement Credits can be gained by cumulative hours spent participating in certain programs (like the Shakespeare programs offered by MSC!!). People earn one week off of their sentence for each 50 hours of programming, up to two weeks per year, cumulative for all different RAC programs.
  • SOMS – Strategic Offender Management System
    • SOMS software that is used throughout CDCR to track all records of people incarcerated, as well as their daily schedules.
    • Participation in RAC-eligible programs requires an assignment to that program through SOMS.
    • For example, if a person is assigned to a Work Assignment at a specific time that is also during a potential program that person has signed up for, SOMS will not allow the program to be assigned to that person.
    • SOMS also tracks program participation and hours as transcribed from the sign-in sheets participants sign at the beginning of each session.
  • Inmate Locator – (https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/) This is an online tool on the CDCR website that allows someone to locate which prison an incarcerated person is housed. Required for the search are the person’s CDCR number or their last name. Also available in search results are the person’s age, admission to CDCR date, Parole Eligible Date, Parole Eligible Information, and the ability to view that person’s Board of Parole Hearings’ Actions (if applicable).
  • Chits, Keys, and Alarms –– Some prisons issue chits to staff, volunteers, and facilitators which allow us to check out keys and alarms. The keys issued to you should allow you to access the rooms that your gorups will be held in. Some prisons require that we carry an alarm with us at all times. We recommend you purchase an alarm case.
  • Alarms, Yard Down – An alarm typically sounds like a loud buzzer. An alarm can be initiated for many reasons: a violent disturbance, medical emergency, false alarm. When an alarm is sounded, depending on the prison, most incarcerated persons will either sit on or lay face down on the ground. Teaching Artists and Volunteers should remain standing and calm. If on the prison yard or in the open, they should step away from incarcerated persons. If inside, they should check-in with nearby custody staff, if possible. This is necessary for TA and volunteer safety.
  • Unlocks – Unlocks refer to times when doors are open for incarcerated person’s to come and go from one area to another. An unlock can be for housing units, yards, or buildings where programs are run. Unlock times can vary from as often as every half-hour to as little as twice-a-day.
  • Clearances –– Everyone entering a prison must have clearance.  Clearance is for a specific purpose and does not allow you to enter the prison at any time.
    • Since MSC works in multiple prisons, some of us have been issued State-wide Brown Cards. 
    • Other Teaching Artists will be issued a Brown Card valid only at the specific prison where they work.
    • Volunteers will typically be cleared for a specific period of time.
    • Guests attending a one-time Performance or Workshop need to be cleared for that instance.
    • Brown Cards need to be renewed annually. Failure to do so will result in being denied access.
  • Laudatory Chronos and Support Letters – Documents that are placed into a participant’s file that are factual accounts of their participation and engagement in our programs. These documents are used by participants in their Board of Parole Hearings suitability hearings, commutation requests, court filings, and classification hearings. Classification hearings can result in benefits to residents such as transfer to a lower level.
    • It is MSC policy that support letters and laudatory chronos requests should be communicated to the Shakespeare for Social Justice Manager, so that we are not duplicating efforts.
  • Event Paperwork and Film Permits – When an organization like MSC schedules a Performance or Workshop with Outside Guests, they must create a Narrative (paperwork packet) that is typically signed by the CRM, Warden, Captain, and PIO.  The Narrative includes the date(s), times, and the Equipment List (costumes and props) and must be submitted two months prior to the event. For Outside Guests, submit their full legal name, date of birth, social security number, and drivers license number and state of issue (or passport number with a scanned copy). These must be submitted many weeks in advance, the number depends on the number of guests and the institution.  A PIO must escort any media including videographers. A videographer requires a Location Agreement from the CDCR and a Film Permit from the State of California.
  • Overfamiliarity – This is when the relationship between an incarcerated individual and an non-incarcerated individual has been interpreted as having crossed the line from professional to personal. Examples are exchanging private notes, contact information, and/or being alone together in a room.  Overfamiliarity has often resulted in a Volunteer or Staff Member being “walked out” of the prison and barred from ever returning. Overfamiliarity may also result in a participant being disciplined and/or transferred to another prison. The prison dictates the policy, which may be looser at lower levels, and their interpretation is not typically open for debate.
  • Visiting – Incarcerated people in California are allowed contact visits. If a teaching artist, volunteer, or guest visits an incarcerated person after their prison clearance has been submitted or they have been inside of that prison, that would be interpreted as overfamiliarity and that person may be banned by CDCR from volunteering, teaching, or being a guest at any California prison. Basically, you can either be a Volunteer or a Visitor, not both.
  • Tablets, Calls, and Texts – As of 2022, many California prisons allow their populations access to tablets that allow the users to place phone calls, and text with other people through an app. The same rules for visiting and incarcerated person applies to contact through text or phone. This would be interpreted as overfamiliarity and that person may be banned by CDCR from volunteering, teaching, or being a guest at any California prison.

What is the appropriate attire when I go into a prison?

Wearing the proper clothing when entering a prison is essential. Not wearing approved clothing could result in not being allowed into the prison or being asked to leave if already on prison grounds. Here are some general rules of thumb  regarding prison attire.

  • Do not wear clothes resembling clothing worn by the prison population
    • Blue or denim pants or shirts
    • Orange jumpsuits or orange tops and bottoms
    • Dresses the resemble a muumuu (at female institutions)
  • Do not wear clothes resembling clothing worn by correctional staff
    • Forest green pants
    • Tan shirts
    • Camouflage
  • Dress conservatively and modestly
    • No strapless, halter, bare midriff, sheer, or transparent clothing
    • No skirts, dresses, or shorts that expose more than two inches above the knee
    • No clothing that exposes the breast, genitalia, or buttocks area
    • No very tight, form-fitting attire
    • No wigs, hairpieces, extensions, or other headpieces except for medical reasons and with prior approval
    • No hats or gloves, except with prior approval or in inclement weather
    • No shower shoes
  • Do not wear any item that cannot be taken off and will not clear a metal detector; this includes underwire bras.

The CDCR website says if an officer tells you that your clothing is unacceptable, but you feel that you have complied with the rules and your clothing is acceptable; you may ask to speak with the Visiting Sergeant or Lieutenant, who will make the decision about your clothing.  However, this may result in retaliation so we don’t advise it. We advise obeying instructions from CDCR staff even when those instructions seem arbitrary.

Classifications of People Who Are Incarcerated

Incarcerated persons in California have many different sentencing designations, however the three major designations that may have the largest impact on your participants and the length of time they may spend in prison are as follows:

●      Determinate Sentence – A sentence where a person is serving a specific number of months or years.

  • Life Sentence – People can be sentenced to almost any number of years-to-life, ranging from 5 years to hundreds of years. Life sentenced individuals’ crimes can range from being ‘stuck out’ under Three Strikes to kidnapping to murder.
    • A life sentence of, for example, 15 years to life means a person is eligible for a BPH (Board of Parole Hearings) Suitability Hearing after 15 years. People go before the Parole Board and may be found Suitable for Parole, or may be given a 3, 5, 7, 10, or 15-year denial.  Preparing for Board involves gathering documents such as laudatory chronos and letters of support, and prepping for what may be 6-hour or longer interviews.
  • Life Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP) – As the name implies, someone sentenced to LWOP faces the possibility of never being released. Only a change in the law, a review/rehearing, or a grant of commutation or pardon from the Governor of California would allow release from prison.

Regardless of a person’s sentence, participation in positive programming (like MSC’s Shakespeare program!) not only allows for self-growth in the form of socialization, exposure to the arts, empathy, and insight; but can also aid in helping to reduce a person’s sentence (through records of positive programming during a court review, governor commutation or pardon, or BPH hearing) or allow for a possible earlier release (through all avenues listed previously as well as through accumulation of RAC Credits).

What do you do if you need to report staff?

Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and with respect. Sadly, that isn’t always the case no matter where or who you are. However, there is recourse with misconduct among CDCR staff. Misconduct to the level of threatening behavior, sexual harassment, and the like is rare, but happens and should be reported immediately.

There are specific instances that we see more often in this field. They are:

  • custody staff consistently not releasing cleared program participants from their cell, dorm, or building
  • disrespectful language toward or about program participants, volunteers, or teaching artists
  • custody staff canceling a scheduled program without proper authority to do so
  • custody staff disallowing cleared volunteers or teaching artists onto prison grounds

When this happens you should:

  • Carefully consider your reaction in the moment. Alienating CDCR staff can have lasting, negative repercussions.
  • Report misconduct to the organization you work for; at MSC, in the weekly Reporting mechanism, and immediately bringing it to the attention of the Shakespeare for Social Justice Manager through an email or call.
  • Some behaviors, like certain staff not releasing certain buildings for group can be reported to the Lieutenant, Yard Captain, and/or the CRM. If you have a Sponsor, they may be able to help.
  • Some behaviors, such as sexual harassment should not be tolerated. MSC had the experience of reporting an instance of repeated sexual harassment by a CDCR officer, which resulted in his reassignment. 

California Corrections and Rehabilitative Arts Programs – Some Facts

  • The United States  has about 5% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s prisoners. It hasn’t always been that way.
  • The age of mass incarceration in the United States began in the mid-1970’s.
  • The twenty years between 1984 and 2004, the US built an average of a new prison every week.
  • During that time, California built 21 new prisons.
  • In comparison to other first-world countries, such as the UK or Canada, the length of sentence for a conviction for the same crime will be about ⅓ of the US.
  • It has been argued that mass incarceration in the US replaced Jim Crow laws as a replacement for systemic racism in this country. (See The New Jim Crow.)
  • Recently, perhaps due to growing public awareness and the efforts of artists and arts organizations, the number of people incarcerated in the US has decreased by almost 20%.
  • California has or will soon close at least six of its prison facilities.
  • Marin Shakespeare Company’s Social Justice History
  • The History of California Arts in Corrections





    Written by:  Joey Pagaduan

With Assistance from Juan Carlos Meza and Lesley Currier

July 2023

This is a living document – we welcome suggestions for additions and updates.