California Closes Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP)

BLYTHE, CA –– The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has announced that Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP), located in Blythe, California has officially closed as of November 1st, 2024. The closure is the third state owned facility to shut its doors in the past four years.

The closure of CVSP marks a milestone in one of California’s strongest approaches to resolving the rampant issues with the state’s prison system. In 2020, CVSP was the site of a deadly outbreak of coronavirus that infected almost 1,000 people due to poor management of the facility. Closing CVSP keeps the state on track to address the nearly 15,000 empty prison beds across the state’s correctional facilities.

“The closure of Chuckawalla Valley State Prison is an important step in the process of shifting away from punitive measures and toward reinvestment in the communities most affected by incarceration,” said Amber-Rose Howard, Executive Director of Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB). “By closing prisons like Chuckawalla, we can reinvest in safety solutions centered in care, including mental health treatment, substance abuse programs, and job training outside of prison,” Howard continued.

According to the Legislative Analyst Office (LAO), a nonpartisan state entity that provides assessments of California policy decisions, closing CVSP is expected to free up over $100 million in ongoing funds annually. These savings could be even greater. For now, closed California prisons such as CVSP are being kept in “warm shutdown” mode, in which millions are allocated for staff and maintenance of basic facility operations even after the prison has been emptied. Fully closing the current deactivated facilities, as well as five additional prisons as recommended by the LAO, could save the state over $1 billion annually and an additional $2 billion in capital costs over the next decade.

The passage of Proposition 36 and the election of more conservative district attorneys in places like Los Angeles County may raise concerns about potential increases in the state’s prison population, but the broader context suggests that current and ongoing reforms allow for additional prison closures. Proposition 36, which reclassifies certain misdemeanor theft and drug offenses as felonies for individuals with prior convictions, could increase the state’s prison population by an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 people. However, California’s prison population remains at historic lows at approximately 91,000 as of September 2024, far below its peak levels. Planned prison closures—including Chuckawalla Valley State Prison—are projected to save $3.4 billion by 2027.

CVSP, which opened in 1991, has held thousands of incarcerated individuals over the past three decades. According to Blythe city officials, CVSP’s initial closure announcement came as a surprise, with employees hearing about the closure announcement just hours before receiving a public press release. Without a plan for prison closure, impacted incarcerated people have had to bear the brunt of a chaotic and abrupt transfer process out of CVSP, marked by retaliation from staff, loss of property, interruptions in programming, and further separation from loved ones.

In addition to the closure, California has an opportunity to strengthen its modest plan to reinvest into Blythe. By following recommendations outlined in CURB’s Prison Closure Roadmap, Governor Newsom could put the state in the position to not just end the fiscal deficit but also revitalize the economy of towns where prisons are located. Other towns that have had a prison close such as Susanville, CA where California Correctional Center was located, received some funds from the California Economic Revitalization Fund (CERF).  California can follow the lead of other states such as New York, Michigan and others across the country who have closed prisons and repurposed them to support local and state economies. By reinvesting even a portion of the funds saved by closing CVSP, Blythe could be in position to repurpose the infrastructure and land as well as invest in county-run economic initiatives.

“The closure of a prison is a tremendous opportunity for smarter investments,” said Mohamed Shehk, Co-Director at Critical Resistance. “By closing Chuckawalla Valley State Prison, California can strengthen its position as a leader in approaches to safety and justice by investing in community-based restorative practices and reducing reliance on incarceration,” Shehk concluded.