The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced Dec. 6 it will close prisons in Riverside and Kern counties and disband facilities at six other locations due to ongoing state budget cuts and an initiative to reduce inmate population across the state.
Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Blythe, about 100 miles east of Palm Desert, and the California City Correctional Facility, about 75 miles southeast of Bakersfield, will both close in March 2025.
In light of the closures, officials said the department is working to “minimize the impact” on employees working at the locations.
“This will include options to transfer both within and outside of impacted counties, and identification of employees for redirection to neighboring prisons where there are existing identified vacancies,” the department said in the announcement….