Condemned Inmate Transfer Program (CITP)

Transfers will be conducted in phases and are expected to be completed in summer 2024. People on San Quentin’s death row will be disbursed to other appropriate institutions within CDCR’s system. Those at CCWF will remain at the institution and placed in appropriate housing throughout the prison.

As of April 10, 2025, there were 589 people with condemned sentences within CDCR.

The Institution Classification Committee thoroughly reviews each condemned individual and offers recommendations for a transfer location based on their individual case factors.

CITP participants are transferred to institutions with at least a Level II security level and a lethal electrified fence. They are designated as “Close Custody” for a minimum of five years, providing the highest security level while still allowing integration into the general population.

No. CDCR does not have the authority to resentence incarcerated people and mainstreaming them will not change their sentence.

Under Prop. 66, death-sentenced people will have the opportunity to participate in work programs and pay court-ordered restitution to victims.

The CDCR Office of Victim and Survivor Rights Services, in collaboration with San Quentin Rehabilitation Center and the Central California Women’s Facility, initiates a comprehensive outreach effort to registered victims, keeping them informed about the initial movements of death-sentenced individuals.

The state’s last execution was on Jan. 17, 2006. Information about capital punishment can be found here: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/capital-punishment/

CDCR conducted a two-year pilot program from Jan. 29, 2020, through Jan. 29, 2022, which allowed death-sentenced individuals to serve their sentences in designated prisons that provide the necessary level of security and enabled them to have more access to job opportunities to pay restitution.

Under the CITP program, 512 individuals from San Quentin formerly housed on death row have been transferred to various prisons. At CCWF, 20 people with condemned sentences have been rehoused in general population at that institution. Under the prior pilot, 104 people with condemned sentences were transferred.

In January 2023, CDCR initiated the process of making the transfer pilot program permanent through the Office of Administrative Law. The permanent CITP regulations were approved on Jan. 31, 2024.

The CITP aligns with the national trend of assigning incarcerated individuals to different security levels based on their behavior and the risk they pose to others, consistent with CDCR’s move toward a behavior-based system of housing according to individual case factors.

Safety and security are paramount concerns. Participants of the CITP will transition to general population housing, a move hindered by the absence of a lethal electrified fence at San Quentin. Additionally, CITP participants maintain a “Close Custody” status for a minimum of five years, ensuring the highest security level while enabling integration into the general population.

Those with condemned sentences will initially be processed at either CCWF or SQ. However, SQ will no longer accommodate long-term housing for such individuals. Instead, they will be transferred to other suitable facilities for appropriate housing.

Since Feb. 26, 2024, a total of 512 incarcerated individuals have transferred from SQRC as part of the Condemned Inmate Transfer Program. Below is the breakdown of the institution that have received incarcerated individuals.  

At CCWF, all 20 people serving condemned sentences remain at the institution, housed in the general population.

For additional information on incarcerated individuals, you are encouraged to visit the California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS) website