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FAMILY SURVIVAL GUIDE
Sending Packages & Clothing
How the quarterly package system actually works — so nothing you buy gets refused, returned, or thrown away.
The one rule that matters most: you cannot mail a package, clothing, shoes, or food directly to someone in a California state prison. CDCR requires all quarterly packages to be ordered through approved private vendors. Anything mailed directly will be refused, donated, or discarded — and your money is gone.
Use this when
You want to send clothing, shoes, food, hygiene items, electronics, or religious items to someone inside a CDCR facility.
Highest-risk mistake
Buying from Amazon or a store and mailing it yourself, or ordering with an outdated housing location after a transfer. Both get the package refused.
Money-saver
Money sent to a trust account is subject to court-ordered restitution deductions. Packages bought directly from a vendor are not. A package can deliver more value per dollar.
Keep proof
Save the order confirmation, vendor name, date, amount, and the exact CDCR number used. You will need it if a package is refused or lost.
How the quarterly package program works
Since 2003, CDCR has contracted with approved private vendors so packages arrive pre-screened. This exists to reduce contraband — and it means there is no legal way around it.
Packages are generally limited to one per quarter, and what a person can receive depends on their privilege group and their facility's rules. Confirm both before spending money.
Weight limits apply (commonly 30 pounds) — the vendor's ordering system enforces the rules for the facility you select, which is another reason to only order through the vendor.
Vendors sell catalog items only. If the catalog for your person's facility doesn't list it, it can't be sent.
The four details you need before ordering
Every vendor will ask for the same four things. Get them right — a wrong CDCR number or an old housing location after a transfer is the most common reason packages come back.
1. Incarcerated person's full legal name (exact spelling)
2. CDCR number
3. Privilege group (ask them, or call the facility)
4. Current housing location (facility + yard/building)
If your person was recently transferred, confirm the new housing location before ordering. Look them up on the CDCR locator (CIRIS) or ask during a call. Packages shipped to the old facility are refused, and vendors may deduct restocking and return shipping fees from your refund.
CDCR-approved general vendors (2025 list)
These are the vendors on CDCR's current published list for standard quarterly packages — clothing, shoes, food, hygiene, and approved electronics. BridgeTheBars has no affiliate relationship with any vendor; these links go directly to the vendor or to CDCR. Compare prices across vendors before ordering — the same items can vary.
Vendor approval can change. Before a large order, confirm the vendor is still listed on CDCR's approved vendors page. CDCR approval does not mean CDCR guarantees the vendor — purchases are at your own risk under DOM 54030.9.1(a)(7).
Religious items have their own vendor list
Items on the Religious Personal Property Matrix (prayer beads, oils, medallions, head coverings, medicine bags, and similar) come through a separate Religious Vendor Package Program with its own approved vendor list, published on the same CDCR page linked above. Note that several religious vendors are not authorized to sell religious oils — check the CDCR list notes.
Religious texts are the exception to everything: under Title 15 §3147(b), incarcerated people may receive publications from any publisher, bookstore, or book distributor that does mail-order business. Bibles, Qurans, and books generally do not need to come from a package vendor — order from any mail-order bookseller and have it shipped directly from the seller.
Why packages get refused — and what it costs you
Wrong or outdated info: misspelled name, wrong CDCR number, or old housing location after a transfer.
Item not allowed for that person: privilege group restrictions or facility-specific rules. The vendor catalog filters most of this, but confirm anything expensive.
Refused packages are not free to undo: vendors commonly deduct restocking fees and shipping from refunds, and processing fees are often non-refundable. Read the vendor's refund policy before checkout — it's the fine print that costs families the most.
Sending money vs. sending a package
If restitution was ordered by the court, deposits to the trust account are garnished — often significantly — before your person sees any of it. Vendor packages are not subject to restitution deductions. If your goal is getting specific items to them, a package usually delivers more of your dollar than sending cash and having them buy from canteen. For the full picture on trust accounts and deposit vendors, see the Money & Commissary guide.