SOLEDAD — The South Facility at Correctional Training Facility (CTF) in Soledad will close by July 2022 due to a decrease in the minimum-security inmate population, announced California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on Tuesday.
The Level I general population unit, also known as Facility D, has been in operation since the first dormitory was built in 1946 as a farming camp for San Quentin State Prison. The facility includes six dorms with a total bed capacity of 1,012, in addition to a dining room, library, chapel and visiting rooms, among other inmate services.
The Soledad state prison also consists of a North Facility and Central Facility, both Level II units, which will remain in operation.
In addition to CTF’s South Facility closure, the Level I facility at California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi will also close by June 30, 2022, due to population reduction.
Both closures are estimated to save $45 million annually.
The April 13 announcement also mentioned the upcoming deactivation of California Correctional Center (CCC) in Susanville by July 2022. The prison is a hub for incarcerated firefighters who are trained for placement into fire camps in Northern California, and its closure is estimated to save an annual $122 million.
“The significant decrease in the state’s incarcerated population over the past year is allowing CDCR to move forward with these prison closures in a thoughtful manner that does not impact public safety, and that focuses on the successful reentry of people into communities once they release from our custody,” said CDCR Secretary Kathleen Allison in a news release. “While these decisions are never easy, they are opening the door for the department to increase efficiencies as California continues to focus on reentry and rehabilitation efforts.”
CCC is the second California prison slated to close in the coming year, with Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy expected to be deactivated by Sept. 30. The closure of two state prisons was included in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2020-21 Budget.
