No Early Release For 2,770 Inmates Inside State Prison That's Closing In Riverside County: CDCR

NORCO, CA — A state prison in Riverside County that houses more than 2,700 convicted felons is closing by fall 2026.

The inmates who live at the soon-to-be-shuttered California Rehabilitation Center on Fifth Street in Norco will not catch a break as a result of the shutdown, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which oversees state prisons.

The CDCR and California Correctional Health Care Services are developing a plan to gradually transfer inmates at CRC before the facility's closure, according to Emily Humpal, a CDCR information officer.

None of them will dodge sentences, she said.

"There will be no early releases of incarcerated people due to the closure of CRC," Humpal confirmed. "Transfers will be made to other institutions that meet the housing needs of the CRC population. CDCR will work on a case-by-case basis to place each person in an appropriate prison to meet their rehabilitative and custody needs."

All credits earned for self-help, educational, and vocational programs will transfer with the inmates, and they will have the opportunity to finish courses in progress, Humpal said.

CRC is a Level II medium-security prison, currently housing 2,770 inmates.

The future of CRC's 1,191 staff is a little bit murkier.

Over the next 14 months, state officials will work with CRC employees and applicable labor organizations, according to Humpal

"Employees will be kept informed through onsite information sessions, online resources and dedicated emails for questions," she said. "CDCR and CCHCS [California Correctional Health Care Services] will work to ensure a smooth transition, including placing employees into like positions at other facilities whenever possible."

The CRC staffers may not have many opportunities to transfer to other state prisons in Riverside County. Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Blythe closed in November. The California Institution for Women remains in operation in Corona, as does the Bautista Conservation Camp in Hemet and the Norco Conservation Camp in Norco, but it's unclear how many positions will be available for former CRC staff.

According to data from the state's Employment Development Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Norco is among the major employers in Riverside County.

In an Aug. 4 news release announcing CRC's closure, CDCR stated that the state "will provide support to the affected local community and workforce with an economic resiliency plan."

In a released statement the same day, the city of Norco reported that it did not have additional information related to the closure, but sentiment was upbeat.

"For years, the City of Norco has advocated for the adaptive reuse of the Norconian Hotel & Resort property. The Norco City Council remains hopeful that one day, this historic gem will be restored to its former glory as a resort and will become a regional economic driver," the statement read.

CRC is indeed historic. According to the state, the facility opened in 1928 as the Lake Norconian Club, a luxury hotel. In December 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt turned the resort into a Naval hospital. The federal government donated the hospital to the state in 1962 for use as a narcotics center, and, in the 1980s, the facility also began housing inmates.

The CRC closure is part of a state plan to shutter some prisons based on "projections of lower prison populations in future years" and "needed cost savings."

The planned closure in Norco comes as California's prison population has fallen. CDCR's incarcerated population — roughly 91,000 — is at its lowest point since the late 1980s. As recently as 2006, the population was more than 173,000, according to CDCR.

In recent years, CDCR has closed three prisons: Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, California Correctional Center in Susanville, and Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Blythe. CDCR has also deactivated 11 facilities, portions of 2 facilities, and 42 housing units across 11 prisons, according to the agency.

"Combined, these recent closures and deactivations, along with administrative savings, result in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings," CDCR reported.

Shuttering the Norco prison is projected to save the state approximately $150 million in annual general fund spending, according to the CDCR.

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