Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3410. Section 3410.
The term “community” shall, for the purposes of this chapter, mean an environment away from the prison setting which is in an urban or suburban area.
CHAPTER 4. Community Treatment Programs [3410. - 3424.]
Cal. Penal Code - PEN 4.
in effectCal. Penal Code - PEN § 3411. Section 3411.
The Department of Corrections shall on or before January 1, 1980, establish and implement a community treatment program under which women inmates sentenced to state prison pursuant to Section 1168 or 1170 who have one or more children under the age of six years, whether born prior to or after January 1, 1976, shall be eligible to participate within the provisions of this section. The community treatment program shall provide for the release of the mother and child or children to a public or private facility in the community suitable to the needs of the mother and child or children, and which will provide the best possible care for the mother and child. In establishing and operating such program, the department shall have as a prime concern the establishment of a safe and wholesome environment for the participating children.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3412. Section 3412.
(a)
The Department of Corrections shall provide pediatric care consistent with medical standards and, to the extent feasible, shall be guided by the need to provide the following:
(1)
A stable, caregiving, stimulating environment for the children as developed and supervised by professional guidance in the area of child development.
(2)
Programs geared to assure the stability of the parent-child relationship during and after participation in the program, to be developed and supervised by appropriate professional guidance. These programs shall, at a minimum, be geared to accomplish the following:
(A)
The mother’s mental stability.
(B)
The mother’s familiarity with good parenting and housekeeping skills.
(C)
The mother’s ability to function in the community, upon parole or release, as a viable member.
(D)
The securing of adequate housing arrangements after participation in the program.
(E)
The securing of adequate child care arrangements after participation in the program.
(3)
Utilization of the least restrictive alternative to incarceration and restraint possible to achieve the objectives of correction and of this chapter consistent with public safety and justice.
(b)
(1)
The Department of Corrections shall ensure that the children and mothers residing in a community treatment program have access to, and are permitted by the community treatment program to participate in, available local Head Start, Healthy Start, and programs for early childhood development pursuant to the California Children and Families Program (Division 108 (commencing with Section 130100) of the Health and Safety Code).
(2)
The community treatment program shall provide each mother with written information about the available local programs, including the telephone numbers for enrolling a child in a program.
(3)
The community treatment program shall also provide transportation to program services and otherwise assist and facilitate enrollment and participation for eligible children.
(4)
Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as granting or requiring preferential access or enrollment for children of incarcerated mothers to any of the programs specified in this subdivision.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3413. Section 3413.
(a)
In determining how to implement this chapter, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall be guided by the need to utilize the most cost-efficient methods possible. Therefore, the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation may enter into contracts
with appropriate public or private agencies to provide housing, sustenance, services as provided in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 3412, and supervision for incarcerated persons who are eligible for placement in community treatment programs. Incarcerated persons in the care of such agencies shall be subject to all provisions of law applicable to them.
(b)
For the purposes of entering into or renewing agreements pursuant to this section, the department may enter into long-term contracts, not to exceed 10 years, for transfer of incarcerated persons to, or placement of incarcerated persons in, facilities under contract pursuant to this section.
(c)
In awarding contracts pursuant to this section, the secretary shall advertise the potential contract and may entertain proposals for the establishment and operation of community treatment programs from public and private entities and shall give preference to the following community treatment programs:
(1)
Programs with approved state or local land use.
(2)
Programs that provide a rehabilitative, supportive setting and programming that is trauma informed, gender
responsive, culturally responsive, and community oriented to improve the outcomes of the participants and reduce recidivism.
(3)
Programs operated by a nonprofit organization that has demonstrated experience successfully operating a community correctional reentry center or community treatment program.
(4)
Programs that have demonstrated expertise in supporting and strengthening family connection, particularly in parent-child relationships.
(d)
Notwithstanding any other law, except as provided in subdivision (c), for the purposes of entering into or renewing agreements pursuant to this section, any process, regulation, or requirement, including any state government reviews or approvals, or third-party approval that is required under, or implemented pursuant to, any statute that relates to entering into or renewing
those agreements, is hereby waived.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3414. Section 3414.
The department shall establish reasonable rules and regulations concerning the operation of the program.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3415. Section 3415.
(a)
The probation department shall, no later than the day that any woman is sentenced to the state prison, notify such woman of the provisions of this chapter, if the term of the state imprisonment does not exceed six years on the basis of either the probable release or parole date computed as if the maximum amount of good time credit would be granted. The probation department shall determine such term of state imprisonment at such time for the purposes of this section.
(b)
The woman may, upon the receipt of such notice and upon sentencing to a term in state prison, give notice of her desire to be admitted to a program under this chapter. The probation department or the defendant shall transmit such notice to the Department of Corrections, and to the appropriate local social services agency that conducts investigations for child neglect and dependency hearings.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3416. Section 3416.
(a)
If any woman received by or committed to the Department of Corrections has a child under six years of age, or gives birth to a child while an inmate under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections, the child and his or her mother shall, upon her request, be admitted to and retained in a community treatment program established by the Department of Corrections, subject to the provisions of this chapter.
(b)
Women transferred to community treatment programs remain under the legal custody of the department and shall be subject at any time, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Director of Corrections, to be detained in the county jail upon the exercise of a state parole or correctional officer’s peace officer powers as specified in Section 830.5, with the consent of the sheriff or corresponding official having jurisdiction over the facility.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3417. Section 3417.
(a)
Subject to reasonable rules and regulations adopted pursuant to Section 3414, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall admit to the program any applicant whose child was born prior to the receipt of the inmate by the department, whose child was born after the receipt of the inmate by the department, or who is pregnant, if all of the following requirements are met:
(1)
The applicant has a probable release or parole date with a maximum time to be served of six years, calculated after deduction of any possible good time credit.
(2)
The applicant was the primary caretaker of the infant prior to
incarceration. “Primary caretaker” as used in this chapter means a parent who has consistently assumed responsibility for the housing, health, and safety of the child prior to incarceration. A parent who, in the best interests of the child, has arranged for temporary care for the child in the home of a relative or other responsible adult shall not for that reason be excluded from the category, “primary caretaker.”
(3)
The applicant had not been found to be an unfit parent in any court proceeding. An inmate applicant whose child has been declared a dependent of the juvenile court pursuant to Section 300 of the Welfare and Institutions Code shall be admitted to the program only after the court has found that participation in the program is in the child’s best interest and that it meets the needs of the parent and child pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (e) of Section 361.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. The fact that an inmate
applicant’s child has been found to come within Section 300 of the Welfare and Institutions Code shall not, in and of itself, be grounds for denying the applicant the opportunity to participate in the program.
(b)
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall deny placement in the community treatment program if it determines that an inmate would pose an unreasonable risk to the public, or if any one of the following factors exist, except in unusual circumstances or if mitigating circumstances exist, including, but not limited to, the remoteness in time of the commission of the offense:
(1)
The inmate has been convicted of any of the following:
(A)
A sex offense listed in Section 667.6.
(B)
A sex offense requiring registration pursuant to
Section 290.
(C)
A violent offense listed in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5, except that the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall consider an inmate for placement in the community treatment program on a case-by-case basis if the violent offense listed in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5 was for robbery pursuant to paragraph (9) of subdivision (c) of Section 667.5 or burglary pursuant to paragraph (21) of subdivision (c) of Section 667.5.
(D)
Arson as defined in Sections 450 to 455, inclusive.
(2)
There is probability the inmate may abscond from the program as evidenced by any of the following:
(A)
A conviction of escape, of aiding another person to escape, or of an attempt to escape from a jail or prison.
(B)
The presence of an active detainer from a law enforcement agency, unless the detainer is based solely upon warrants issued for failure to appear on misdemeanor Vehicle Code violations.
(3)
It is probable the inmate’s conduct in a community facility will be adverse to herself or other participants in the program, as determined by the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or as evidenced by any of the following:
(A)
The inmate’s removal from a community program which resulted from violation of state laws, rules, or regulations governing Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s inmates.
(B)
A finding of the inmate’s guilt of a serious rule violation, as defined by the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation, which resulted in a credit loss on one occasion of 91 or more days or in a credit loss on more than one occasion of 31 days or more and the credit has not been restored.
(C)
A current written opinion of a staff physician or psychiatrist that the inmate’s medical or psychiatric condition is likely to cause an adverse effect upon the inmate or upon other persons if the inmate is placed in the program.
(c)
The Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall consider the placement of the following inmates in the community treatment program on a case-by-case basis:
(1)
An inmate convicted of the unlawful sale or possession for sale, manufacture, or transportation of controlled substances, as defined in Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 11350) of Division 10 of
the Health and Safety Code, if large scale for profit as defined by the department, provided that an inmate convicted pursuant to Section 11358 or 11359 of the Health and Safety Code shall be admitted to the program pursuant to subdivision (a).
(2)
An inmate with a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold.
(d)
A charged offense that did not result in a conviction shall not be used to exclude an applicant from the program.
(e)
Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to limit the discretion of the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to deny or approve placement when subdivision (b) does not apply.
(f)
The Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation shall determine if the applicant meets the requirements of this section within 30 days of the parent’s application to the program. The department shall establish an appeal procedure for the applicant to appeal an adverse decision by the department.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3418. Section 3418.
(a)
In the case of any inmate who gave birth to a child after the date of sentencing, and in the case of any inmate who gave birth to a child prior to that date and meets the requirements of Section 3417 but has not yet made application for admission to a program, the department shall, at the earliest possible date, but in no case later than the birth of the child, or the receipt of the inmate to the custody of the Department of Corrections, as the case may be, notify the inmate of the provisions of this chapter and provide her with a written application for the program described in this chapter.
(b)
The notice provided by the department shall contain, but need not be limited to, guidelines for qualification for, and the timeframe for application to, the program and the process for appealing a denial of admittance.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3419. Section 3419.
(a)
In the case of any inmate who gives birth after her receipt by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the department shall, subject to reasonable rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to Section 3414, provide notice of, and a written application for, the program described in this chapter, and upon her request, declare the inmate eligible to participate in a program pursuant to this chapter if all of the requirements of Section 3417 are met.
(b)
The notice provided by the department shall contain, but need not be limited to, guidelines for qualification for, and the timeframe for application to, the program and the process for appealing a denial of admittance.
(c)
Any community treatment program, in which an inmate who gives birth after her receipt by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation participates, shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
(1)
Prenatal care.
(2)
Access to prenatal vitamins.
(3)
Childbirth education.
(4)
Infant care.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3420. Section 3420.
(a)
Within five days after the receipt of an inmate by the Department of Corrections who has already applied for admission to a program, or of her application for admission to a program, whichever is later, the department shall give notice of her application to the child’s current caretaker or guardian, if any, and if it has not already been notified pursuant to Section 3415, the appropriate local social services agency that conducts investigations for child neglect and dependency hearings.
(b)
The department and the individuals and agencies notified shall have five days from the date of notice to decide whether or not to challenge the appropriateness of the applicant’s entry into the program. Lack of a petition filed by that time shall result in a presumption that the individuals and agencies notified do not challenge the appropriateness of the applicant’s entry into the program.
(c)
The local agency which has been notified pursuant to Section 3415 shall not initiate the process of considering whether or not to file until after the sentencing court has sentenced the applicant.
(d)
The appropriate local agency that conducts investigations for child neglect and dependency hearings, the Department of Corrections, and the current guardian or caretaker of the child, shall have the authority to file for a fitness proceeding against the mother after the mother has applied in writing to participate in the program.
(e)
The determination of whether or not to file shall be based in part on the likelihood of the mother being a fit parent for the child in question both during the program and afterwards. Program content shall be taken into account in this determination. There shall be a presumption affecting the burden of producing evidence in favor of filing for a fitness proceeding under the following circumstances:
(1)
The applicant was convicted of one or more of the following violent felonies:
(A)
Murder.
(B)
Mayhem.
(C)
Aggravated mayhem.
(D)
Kidnapping as defined in Section 207 or 209.
(E)
Lewd acts on a child under 14 as defined in Section 288.
(F)
Any felony in which the defendant inflicts great bodily injury on a person other than accomplices which has been alleged and proven.
(G)
Forcible rape in violation of subdivision (2), (3), or (4) of Section 261.
(H)
Sodomy by force, violence, duress, menace, or threat of great bodily injury.
(I)
Oral copulation by force, violence, duress, menace, or threat of great bodily injury.
(2)
The applicant was convicted of child abuse in the current or any proceeding.
(f)
Fitness petitions shall be resolved in the court of first instance as soon as possible for purposes of this section. Given the need to place the child as soon as possible, the first determination by the court as to the applicant’s fitness as a mother shall determine her eligibility for the program for the current application. Outcomes of appeals shall not affect eligibility.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3421. Section 3421.
Children of women inmates may only participate in the program until they reach the age of six years, at which time the Board of Prison Terms may arrange for their care elsewhere under any procedure authorized by statute and transfer the mother to another placement under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections if necessary; and provided further, that at its discretion in exceptional cases, including, but not limited to cases where the mother’s period of incarceration is extended, the board may retain such child and mother for a longer period of time.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3422. Section 3422.
The costs for care of any mother and child placed in a community treatment program pursuant to this section shall be paid for out of funds allocated to the department in the normal budgetary process. The department shall make diligent efforts to procure other funding sources for the program.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3423. Section 3423.
Any woman inmate who would give birth to a child during her term of imprisonment may be temporarily taken to a hospital outside the prison for the purposes of childbirth, and the charge for hospital and medical care shall be charged against the funds allocated to the institution. The inmate shall not be shackled by the wrists, ankles, or both during labor, including during transport to a hospital, during delivery, and while in recovery after giving birth, except as provided in Section 5007.7. The board shall provide for the care of any children so born and shall pay for their care until suitably placed, including, but not limited to, placement in a community treatment program.
Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 3424. Section 3424.
A woman who is pregnant during her incarceration and who is not eligible for the program described in this chapter shall have access to complete prenatal health care. The department shall establish minimum standards for pregnant inmates in its custody who are not placed in a community treatment program including all of the following:
(a)
A balanced, nutritious diet approved by a doctor.
(b)
Prenatal and postpartum information and health care, including, but not limited to, access to necessary vitamins as recommended by a doctor.
(c)
Information pertaining to childbirth education and infant care.
(d)
A dental cleaning while in a state facility.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026