The California Prison and Parole Law Handbook is a comprehensive overview of the laws and policies affecting people in state prisons and on parole in California. The Handbook includes extensive discussion of 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 2019 edition of the Handbook. As of January 2024, we are starting to update the Handbook a few chapters at a time. As we finish the updated chapters, they will appear on the CDCR Tablets and we will post them on our website. Any updated chapter will show the date on which it was revised. We currently do not know if or when we will any print paper copies of the Handbook after all of the chapters are updated, a process that will likely take us at least one year.
People in CDCR can find the Handbook on tablets and kiosks under Law Library/California/Secondary Sources/The California Prison and Parole Law Handbook. People with internet access can view, download, and print chapters of the Handbook for free by clicking here:
We have other free information packets that may help incarcerated people 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. Incarcerated people can obtain copies of these manuals by writing to us with a description of their situation or the type of information they are seeking. People who have internet access can view and print many of our packets on this website under the Resources tab.