California Correctional Center
Encyclopedia
California Correctional Center (CCC) is a state prison in the city of Susanville
in Northern California.
Among the vocational programs at CCC, the "certified 90-day horse gentling program" for wild horses begun in 1987 has received much attention. The federal Bureau of Land Management
supplies wild horses captured from the "high desert border country of northeastern California and western Nevada"; inmates "are not paid for their participation." After the program, the horses "become candidates for the periodic public horse adoptions held at the prison." The program is thought to benefit inmates; as one participant said, "it teaches you patience and teaches you that if you want something, you have to work at it."
In 2004, the anti-prison political action group Californians United for a Responsible Budget coalition (which advocates for "lowering the number of inmates and prisons") suggested that CCC and three other prisons be closed as a cost-cutting measure for the state of California, but CCC subsequently continued to operate. A documentary film Prison Town, USA was shown as part of the P.O.V.
series on PBS
television in July 2007; it concerned the impacts of CCC, High Desert State Prison, and the opening of the nearby Federal Correctional Institution, Herlong
upon the residents of Susanville. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
"directed inmate firefighters and staff from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
," including those from CCC, to help fight the October 2007 California wildfires
.
Susanville, California
Susanville is the county seat of Lassen County, California, United States. Susanville is located on the Susan River in the south-central part of the county, at an elevation of 4186 feet . The population was 17,974 at the 2010 census, up from 13,541 at the 2000 census...
in Northern California.
Facilities
CCC's missions are "to receive, house, and train minimum-custody inmates for placement into one of the institution's 18 Northern California conservation camps" and "to provide meaningful work, training, and education programs for inmates who do not meet the criteria for assignment to a conservation camp." It has 1100 acres (445.2 ha) including Level l ("Open dormitories without a secure perimeter") housing, Level ll ("Open dormitories with secure perimeter fences and armed coverage") housing, Level lll ("Individual cells, fenced perimeters and armed coverage") housing, and camps. As of Fiscal Year 2006/2007, CCC had 1,184 staff and an annual budget of $139 million. As of September 2007, it had a design capacity of 3,883 but a total institution population of 6,093, for an occupancy rate of 156.9 percent.History
The prison was built in 1963 as a minimum-security facility and was expanded in 1987 to include a medium-security inmates.Among the vocational programs at CCC, the "certified 90-day horse gentling program" for wild horses begun in 1987 has received much attention. The federal Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
supplies wild horses captured from the "high desert border country of northeastern California and western Nevada"; inmates "are not paid for their participation." After the program, the horses "become candidates for the periodic public horse adoptions held at the prison." The program is thought to benefit inmates; as one participant said, "it teaches you patience and teaches you that if you want something, you have to work at it."
In 2004, the anti-prison political action group Californians United for a Responsible Budget coalition (which advocates for "lowering the number of inmates and prisons") suggested that CCC and three other prisons be closed as a cost-cutting measure for the state of California, but CCC subsequently continued to operate. A documentary film Prison Town, USA was shown as part of the P.O.V.
P.O.V.
POV is a Public Broadcasting Service Public television series which features independent nonfiction films. POV is a cinema term for "point of view"....
series on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
television in July 2007; it concerned the impacts of CCC, High Desert State Prison, and the opening of the nearby Federal Correctional Institution, Herlong
Federal Correctional Institution, Herlong
The Federal Correctional Institution Herlong is a medium security institution housing male inmates, with a satellite camp that houses minimum security male inmates in Herlong, California....
upon the residents of Susanville. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
"directed inmate firefighters and staff from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. CDC&R is the second largest law enforcement or police agency in the United States behind the New York City Police Department which employs approximately...
," including those from CCC, to help fight the October 2007 California wildfires
October 2007 California wildfires
The October 2007 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that began burning across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and over 500,000 acres of land burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border...
.