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United States · CA · Crescent City

Pelican Bay State Prison

State prisonSupermax / MaximummaleUnder capacity (92%)LowHigh
Verified 29 May 2026 · Data dated 1 Jan 2024
Fresh · 0d ago

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.

For families

How to send mail, money, and visit Pelican Bay State Prison

Step-by-step guidance using the United States system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.

Open toolkit
Photograph of Pelican Bay State Prison

Gallery

From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).

  • Aerial shot of Pelican Bay State Prison, taken 27-July-2009.jpg

    Photo by Jelson25 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

  • Pelicanbay.JPG

    Photo by Unknown via Wikimedia Commons (Copyrighted free use)

  • PelicanBayStatePrison.jpg

    Photo by California Department of Corrections via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

California adult institution operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. CDCR code: PBSP.

Capacity

2,380

Current population

2,200

Occupancy

92%

Year opened

1989

Operational

Facility profile

Operator

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Population held

male

Opened

1989

Region

CA

Security level

Supermax / Maximum

Death-row facility

No

Conditions

Restrictive Housing Unit reformed after Ashker v. Brown (2015) settlement, which capped long-term SHU placement.

Visiting

Pre-approved visits Saturday and Sunday. SHU inmates non-contact only.

Mailing

Inmate Name & CDCR #, Pelican Bay State Prison, 5905 Lake Earl Dr, Crescent City, CA 95531.

Practical info

Significant logistical effort for visitors — facility is in California's far north, 8 hours from Sacramento.

Known issues

Ashker v. Brown class action ended decades of indefinite SHU placements based on alleged gang affiliation.

Notable inmates

Charles Manson briefly transferred (1995).

Contact & address

5905 Lake Earl Drive, Crescent City 95531
(707) 465-1000
Official site

Conditions Risk Score

Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated

5/100
Low concern5/100
Overcrowding
0/30
Oversight reports
0/30
Structural flags
5/15
Death signals
0/15
Conditions text
0/10

What the score is responding to:

  • · Substantial documented known-issues record

Compared to other facilities in United States

3134 peers
Conditions risk scorethis: 5/100 · peers avg: 3/100 (+64%)

Higher risk than 79% of peer facilities in United States.

Occupancythis: 92% · peers avg: 71% (+30%)
Capacity (beds)this: 2380 · peers avg: 1574 (+51%)

Data completeness

100%

How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.

Sources