Love the phone capabilities you can talk all day and yell to such a sweat deal So many activities read more

Well, I honestly have to say for the year and a half that I was there. I had amazing medical treatment from the medical staff there but even better the housing staff the correctional officers that ran my housing unit were by far the best ever Miss Flores Although she was a bloodhound, nothing got by her she was amazing and Miss Murillo who went above and beyond the call of duty with me I know I drove her crazy, but she always had my back and Mr. Allen with his cool, laid-back self, and Mr. Diaz he could be a real pain, but he was lovable with his grouchy ass and my fellow inmates honestly have to say I left a lot of people behind that I really really loved and that I can call my friends I wouldn't recommend going to prison but if you did go to building 505 read more

I had the worst experience visiting today. Last week. They won't let my wife and I hold each other's hand. Nobody said anything this week there was a woman guard. She must be single Darlene love because she was all over us and she wrote me up for excessive touching and I haven't seen my wife at eight months yet. There is somebody they're all over their kids kissing their kids.I think they should mind there own business it's not like we are having sex we are holding hands. read more

Visiting center 6/28 @11am-12pm -D.cueves female police and another female police were VERY RUDE . They have no proper communication skills and no one in that facility is on the same page both officers were telling me 2 different things and were VERY RUDE ABOUT IT . This happens everytime I go to visiting they have no respect and just are rude it's a very nasty look . I hope they find some happiness cause they seem to take it out on the visitors . read more

I was there 21 years ago some of the people that work there are fkn sadistic, pathetic and so COWARDLY!!!!! That place is unsanitary there is no rehabilitation, and the fkn male guards have sexual relationships with the inmates, there was so much unprofessionalism guards would bring in drugs to the inmates!!!!! They need to shut that savage maggot low life disgusting place down !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

My to go order was not hot enough. Cold parts through out. I would rather have waited longer if it meant my food could be hot.

The most God-awful inhumane facility I imagine has ever existed in modern times for women. Every fourth women sports a black eye (running bad taste of a joke was it was part of the prison uniform) and STAFF never seemed to notice and it obviously was not considered abuse from other inmates. Bed moves? Totally orchestrated, again, by the inmates: lifers and long-termers. That's who really runs the zoo. Eight women to a room, God forbid you're the newbie. You are expected to do WHATEVER the shot caller says. Usually entails obsessive cleaning i.e. sweep the room every hour on the hour for 18 hours, scrub all walls at 4 a.m. every morning, etc. unbelievable and unimaginable cruelty to the newbie. Truth be they hate people who have a date and get to go home. So when it's decided you're no longer wanted in that cell, first they roll your stuff up, push it out on the unlock, then they tap your ass and roll you out on the next one. The CO's turn a blind eye to everything because they're either 1. LAZY (hate that paperwork) 2. Are so outnumbered that don't dare take a stand. This is just the beginning. Keep this in mind the next time you consider commuting a serious offense. You will be punished, just not by who you thought. CCWF is undoubtedly HELL ON EARTH!!! read more

I have a friend doing life in prison and I try to stay on top of the operation of the prison. I also discovered talking to the Warden's office that they informed me that you do not start at the top. You start at the BOTTOM and work up to the chain of command. Also, they do NOT give extensions to the person that you want to speak with, so I started asking people what THEIR extensions were and I am transferred from there. I also have learned that you contact your STATE representative and they contact the prison for you and you seem to get help from THEM and the state prisons call you back when you go to someone above them. You may make mistakes and have to serve time, but the people calling up to check on the well being of the prisoner should NOT be treated the way they obviously treating the prisoner. It is our money that pays the staffs salary! Also call the omnubudsman and see if you get help from them as well. This is disgraceful! read more

My daughter is housed at CCWF since February. I have been writing to her since March..... there must be at least 6-10 envelopes that I have sent to her. Her mail dribbles to her, some are important papers that I mailed to her she still hasn't received. Her 10 year old daughter wrote her mother a letter two months ago, but my daughter still has not received it. read more

People allow me to interject this. The purpose of a bad facility is to stop repeat offenders. That is the bottom line.

Wow... Research... Really... Well I did some work from the inside... Interesting, the food was bad and the beds are not soft... Its not college nor camp... It's prison.. 2 years of research... Nuh I wouldn't do it again... read more

Having been an inmate at CCWF I can tell you that staff in VERY unprofessional, Medical - wait WHAT MEDICAL? They won't help you unless you on your death bed and even them you cant get help. Nothing good comes out of that place and it's surrounded with sorrow, heat ache and death. You will come out a hard person because you have to fight to survive. The so called correctional officers will be the 1st one to set you up if you upset them. Unprofessional, rude, disrespectful a@@ holes work at CCWF! read more

I've been writing someone for over a year, and their mail service there is horrible. Letters are stacked up and get delivered 6 to 8 weeks behind. According to the lady I write to, none of the officers want to work in the mailroom. The mail is now being stacked up in the warehouse because there is no room for it in the mail room. There seems to be a lack of discipline or responsibility among the officers that work there. I wonder if most of them are women or men? I've written to people in Tehachapi, CA and also Avenal for a long time, and I never had a problem there. CCWF just seems like a really loose ship if you ask me. The officers want to punish the inmates by having them wait 2 months to get their mail? These people that work there need their @ss kicked in a major way, but they seem to be accountable to no one. read more

This is the lowest score and remember folks, this is only my opinion take on CCWF as a prison. We all know that rudeness and disrespect runs everywhere we go, its there, some people just have a real problem with their attitude, some just don't care because they have power over others and "Who is going to tell"????right, especially in a prison setting where inmates can't speak out..... Some of the people employed there, are the problem. "Some" of the guards and "Some of the Staff" have a lot of power of what goes on there, maybe they have forgotten the "Regulations and Policies", of human decency and respect for "All people" and those two qualities should not change, just because a person is in prison. Here are the problems I saw while visiting: 1. "Some of the guards and "Some" of the employed persons there are rude, disrespectful of everyone not just an inmate, but its worse for them then a civilian. 2. "R&R" person very loud and rude to everyone especially the inmates. Some counselors have no idea how to "Counsel or Help" in the rehabilitation process. This facility is a mess! and it needs an overhaul for human kindness. Yes, I understand guards have to be tough, but just rude mean things to say to a woman even if she is in prison, is just not right. Yes, people make mistakes and still they should receive respect and human decency, those things should never change in any setting. I see that some posters here have posted just ignorant rants, they have no idea about a prison or who is there..... read more

Wow. I never thought Id be able to write a review on this sorry place. 10 Years ago, I spent time in this facility as an inmate. It is a horrible place. There were guards and nurses sleeping with the inmates, the drug use in this place is worse than it is on the streets. The facility is dirty. However while I was there, there were only 2 bunks in the cells on A yard and 8 bunks in the rooms on the other yards. I straightened out my life and became a productive memeber of society, cause I would never want to go back there. The California Institute for Women in Southern California, is by far the worst one. I was being transfered to a different facility during my stay and had the opporunity to stay there. Horrible. The place stinks like cow and horse manure so bad. And on the recieving yard there is one bathroom to each dorm. Thats one toilet and one sink. I was there for a week and was not allowed to take a shower. I get that people do crimes and have to be punished for them. I did and I took that experience and made a better life for myself. However I don't think the conditions of California's prisons are humane or sanitary. But then again, what do you expect from a prison? It isn't a park. read more

WOW!!! Chowchilla is a scary place! That is putting it mildly!!! What a horrific experience to say the least! My story is unusual. I was in a teaching position for 17 years. In September of 2011 a coworker of mine was going to the Middle East for a 2 year teaching position. Before leaving she invited me to dinner with her and a few friends. We all had 2 drinks with dinner over a 4-6 hour period. While driving home I barely touched the limit line which was 5 feet in front of a crosswalk. I was locked up for drunk driving although my blood alcohol level was only 0.05, below the limit of 0.08. I could have fought it and maybe should have, however I was ashamed and took responsibility. I did everything the judge had ordered except for installing an IID Device to my ignition. I couldn't afford it at the time. My car had an anti-theft key and the installation alone was $5,000. I was driving to work and to the DUI School ordered by the court. In January of 2012 I was heading home to pick up student test results. I had too much coffee that morning and had to use the restroom badly. I was traveling a bit over the speed limit and was pulled over by a motorcycle officer. I went into an extreme level of panic. All I could think about was how I was going to lose my job due to strict union regulations. There I was driving with a suspended license. After pulling over, my panic overcame me and I began to drive away. I only drove a short distance of approximately 6 blocks when my senses came back to me. I explained my panic and apologized, but It was too late! UGH! According to the Public Defender a new law had passed in January 2012. If you evade police it is automatically 3-5 years in a state prison. I took the deal of 16 months with half, a total of 8 months. There was a woman in LA County Jail that had committed a crime in December 2011. She was on T.V. with a stolen car, over 30 police vehicles and 4 helicopters chasing her. She rolled the car and was fleeing the scene when they caught her. OMG!!! She was sentenced to 90 days in the county facility and served only 18 days. My 8 month sentence in prison was a nightmare. CCWF, Chowchilla puts prisoners of all levels together, except Death Row Inmates. I was in a cell with 5 other women that were extremely racist. Three of the women had life sentences and had no regard for anyone. It wasn't safe in the cell, in the "Day Room", or on the yard. The whole building that I was in knew that I was in the worst room that I could be in. I was mistreated, beaten, and tortured beyond words. I was totally alone. I couldn't tell anyone or ask for help. I will always have these scars to remind me. I consider myself lucky. Another woman was held hostage for 3 days by two women (savages). They scalped her, carved their names in her face, cut off her fingers, cut off half of her tongue, and raped her anally with a stinger. There are many other incidents of torture that occurred while I was there. I feel really lucky to be here today. That experience will haunt me forever. Not only did I lose my job, I lost everything in a split second of panic. I still have excellent references from my school district and exceeding expectation evaluations. I am starting from ground zero now. Best wishes to everyone. read more

Very informational posts that have been posted about the Women's Prison in Chowchilla. I just had a dear friend that was transferred there yesterday (2/5/12) and I hope that she can make it throught without any bad marks against her. I only that she does well there and get an early release on good behavior. Thank you guys for posting your thoughts and info. Have a Blessed Day!!!!! read more

I have a problem with ccwf the mail room takes forever to deliver mail to the inmates and being a former correction officer from the east coast ccwf should,ve been investigated years ago the conditions that are described to me are deplorable at best animals are treated better than these people.The realignment program isn,t working fast enough to help some of these people who should have never been sent there in the first place.Some of these people that are in there are in there for victimless crimes like getting arrested for a nickel bag of pot and getting between 3 and 5 years hard time because california has a three strikes law there's the same law in new york but you don't hear about it much because it's a waste of taxpayers money and most people come out of the system worse than when they went in.So the end results accomplish little or next to nothing.The women's facility has a mismanagement classification problem how can you place someone who killed someone with a person who stole a candy bar pointless and senseless by the time that person gets out that person will be just as hard as the person they were housed with.You can't put a mentally challenged person in facility that does,nt house or is not set up to deal with that problem,but that,s california for you just one more nameless faceless person to jam thru the system.,by a one sided court system there. read more