The California Prison and Parole Law Handbook
The California Prison and Parole Law Handbook is an overview of the laws and policies affecting people in state prisons and on parole in California. The Handbook also discusses the administrative grievances and appeals and court actions that incarcerated people can use to protect their rights.
We no longer sell or send out copies of the 2019 edition of Handbook. As of Summer 2026, we are working on updating the Handbook chapters. We will make new chapters available as we finish them. We hope to print paper copies of the full Handbook after all of the chapters are updated, but we don’t know if or when we that might happen.
We also have other free information packets that may help incarcerated people and people on parole understand and protect their rights. Many of these packets are more up-to-date and/or more detailed than the Handbook chapters, and some are available in Spanish.
Our Handbook chapters and other information resources are available in the following ways:
Incarcerated people can obtain paper copies of our information resources by writing to us (Prison Law Office, General Delivery, San Quentin, CA 94964) through confidential legal mail, with a description of their situation or the type of information they are seeking;
People in CDCR and some California county jails can find some of our information resources on the free Edovo app that is on their electronic tablets;
People with internet access can view, download, and print our information resources on our website. Chapters of the Handbook are on this page (below) and many of our other resources are on our Informational Resources page.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY WHEN USING THIS INFORMATION:
The California Prison and Parole Law Handbook is not intended to give legal advice, but rather general legal information. No attorney-client relationship is created by using any information in this guide. You should consult an attorney for legal advice specific to your situation.
When putting together The California Prison and Parole Law Handbook, we did our best to give you useful and accurate information because we know that people who are currently or formerly incarcerated often have difficulty getting legal information. However, the laws change frequently and are subject to differing interpretations. Prison Law Office does not have the resources to make changes to this material every time the law changes. If you use this information, it is your responsibility to make sure that the law has not changed and applies to your particular situation. Most of the materials you need should be available in a law library.
LIST OF CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1: Administrative Grievances and Appeals [Updated August 2026]
Chapter 2: Rights of People in Prison
Chapter 3: Cruel and Unusual Conditions, Use of Excessive Force, and Protection from Physical and Sexual Abuse
Chapter 4: Classification, Housing, and Programs
Chapter 5: Prison Rule Violations
Chapter 6: Placement in Segregation
Chapter 7: Medical, Mental Health, and Dental Care
Chapter 8: Determinate Sentences, Restitution, Time Credits, and Release Dates
Chapter 9: Life Parole Suitability, Other Board of Parole Hearings Proceedings, Commutations, and Pardons
Chapter 10: Detainers and Extradition
Chapter 11: Parole and Post-Release Community Supervision
Chapter 12: OMHD and SVP Civil Commitments
Chapter 13: Immigration Issues for People in Prison
Chapter 14: Direct Appeals of Criminal Convictions
Chapter 15: State Petitions for Writ of Habeas Corpus and Writ of Mandate/Prohibition
Chapter 16: Federal Petitions for Writ of Habeas Corpus
Chapter 17; Federal Civil Rights (“Section 1983”) Lawsuits
Chapter 18: State Tort Lawsuits
Chapter 19: Legal Research, Writing, and Strategies
COPYRIGHT ©
The California Prison and Parole Law Handbook is copyrighted © in 2019 by Prison Law Office. We encourage your use of this material, but ask that you credit Prison Law Office in doing so. Resale of this material is prohibited.