Reception Center Guide: After Sentencing

The silence is part of the process, not a sign something is wrong. After sentencing, your loved one goes through CDCR’s reception and classification process, which can take up to 90 days. Contact is limited by design during this window: one phone call in the first week, then one call per week. This page walks the whole timeline.

Use this when

Someone was just sentenced to state prison, you can’t find them in any locator, or reception rules are confusing you.

Highest-risk mistake

Ordering a quarterly package. Reception status (Privilege Group U) means no packages — the order gets refused and refund fees eat your money.

Do this first

Write a letter (mail works from day one), set up the phone account, and submit your visitor application (Form 106) — approval takes weeks, so start now.

Can’t find them?

There’s a gap where they’ve left county jail but aren’t in CDCR’s locator yet. That gap is normal and can last days to weeks.

The timeline, start to finish

Sentencing day → still in county jail. After sentencing, the person stays in county jail while the court processes the Abstract of Judgment and CDCR paperwork. This takes days to several weeks depending on the county. Keep using the county jail’s phone/mail systems during this stretch.
Transfer to a reception center. When CDCR receives the paperwork and bed space opens, they transfer. Men generally go through Wasco State Prison or North Kern State Prison; women go through Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. Assignments vary by county — the locator (below) tells you where they actually landed.
Reception & classification — up to 90 days. Medical and mental health screening, interviews, and case-factor review produce a classification score, which determines what security level and which institutions fit. Family location is considered in placement, but being placed near family is not guaranteed.
Endorsement & transfer. Once classified, they’re endorsed to an institution and moved when a bed opens. Total time from sentencing to a permanent yard commonly runs several months. When they land, packages, tablets, regular visiting, and programs all open up.

“I can’t find them in any locator”

This is the moment that scares families most, and it’s almost always just a records gap. CDCR’s locator — CIRIS — only shows people already in CDCR custody. Someone who left county jail yesterday may not appear for days while intake processes. If they’ve vanished from the county jail roster and aren’t in CIRIS yet, they are most likely on the bus or in intake. If they still don’t appear after a couple of weeks, call CDCR’s Identification Unit at (916) 445-6713 (weekdays 8:00–4:30 Pacific) for CIRIS help. Once they appear, CIRIS shows you the facility — and their CDCR number, which you need for everything else.

Phone contact during reception

They get one phone call within the first week at the reception center, then one call per week. Calls are collect-style to an account you set up, and they are monitored.
No tablets in reception. Tablets are issued after they transfer to their designated institution — so no e-messages, no video calls, no photos yet. The phone call and letters are the only channels.
Answer unknown numbers. You cannot call them back, and a missed weekly call is a missed week.

Mail works from day one — use it

Letters are the one unlimited channel during reception. Address format matters: full name, CDCR number, and their housing (facility/building) if you know it, to the institution’s PO Box for that facility. Get the exact address from the facility’s page on this site or CDCR’s facility locator. Photos and kids’ drawings have rules — see the Mailroom Rulebook before sending anything you care about.

Visiting during reception

You can visit once you’re an approved visitor (Form 106) — but reception visits are behind glass, by appointment only, limited to about one to two hours and a maximum of three visitors.
Your loved one is escorted to the visit in handcuffs, removed only after they’re secured in the booth. If you’re bringing kids who shouldn’t see that, wait away from the glass until they’re settled.
Submit the Form 106 visitor application now — processing takes weeks, and approval carries over when they transfer to their permanent institution. The Getting Approved guide walks every step.
No family (overnight) visits during reception, period.

What Privilege Group U means for your wallet

Everyone in reception is Privilege Group U — “under processing.” That means: no quarterly packages (don’t order one — it will be refused and vendors deduct restocking and shipping fees from refunds), reduced canteen spending limits, one call per week, and behind-glass visiting only. You can send money to their trust account so they can buy canteen basics — just know deposits are subject to restitution deductions if the court ordered any. Once they transfer and get a regular privilege group, the packages system opens up.

Your first-week checklist

1. Find them on CIRIS (apps.cdcr.ca.gov/ciris) — write down their CDCR number
2. Write a letter with your phone number and address in the body
   (they may not have their contacts — property gets separated in transit)
3. Set up the phone account so their weekly call connects
4. Submit Form 106 visitor application (approval takes weeks)
5. Send a small trust deposit for canteen basics (hygiene, stamps, paper)
6. Do NOT order a quarterly package yet (Group U = refused + fees)
7. Answer every unknown number for the next 90 days

One detail families learn the hard way: their phone contacts and address book travel separately as property or get left behind at county. Put your phone number and mailing address inside the first letter, in the body — don’t assume they can reach you just because they always could.

Official sources

CDCR Ombudsman — Entering a Prison FAQs
CIRIS — CDCR incarcerated person locator
CDCR Facility Locator · Reception Centers mission line: (916) 324-3809 · Visitation: (800) 374-8474