FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2025
Press Contacts:
Joshua Stickney, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
joshua@ellabakercenter.org, 405-315-4151
Ashley Chambers, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
ashley@ellabakercenter.org, 925-953-2302
Ella Baker Center Applauds Announcement to Close Norco Prison
Urges State Leaders to Continue Closing Prisons and Reinvesting Back into Communities
SACRAMENTO — The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights joins advocates and allies in celebrating the state’s announcement to close the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Norco, CA by Fall 2026, saving the state millions of dollars. Amid urgent calls for additional prison closures and concerns to address the environmental risks of prison facilities, this announcement represents a step towards reducing California’s carceral footprint in mass incarceration.
In response to the state’s budget deficit, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the closure of one state prison facility in his May Revise. The closure came upon recommendation of Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB), to which the Ella Baker Center and dozens of criminal justice reform organizations belong, and their 2021 survey of over 2,000 currently incarcerated Californians, which named CRC as a top closure priority. Closing the CRC will save the state $150 million and even more in building repairs and operating costs. Additionally, the California Budget & Policy Center shows that closing state prisons is an “underutilized tool that can provide the funds needed to offset cuts to vital safety net and health programs.”
“We applaud the state administration for making the call to close the California Rehabilitation Center by 2026 as the incarcerated population continues to decline. This prison closure provides an opportunity to prioritize people over punishment, and reinvest state savings into the communities most impacted by incarceration,” said Eric Henderson, Policy Director at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. “During a time when several California state prisons are facing worsening climate risks—from extreme heat and wildfires to aging infrastructure—it is critical that we continue closing prisons, starting with those most vulnerable to climate hazards, to protect the health and safety of people inside.”
Eighteen state prisons are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, as well as wildfires and floods, according to the 2023 Ella Baker Center and UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs’ report Hidden Hazards. The state has since closed one of those identified prisons—Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in November 2024.
“California’s prison population has declined nearly 50% in the past decade. The state can both promote public safety and reduce the burden of costly incarceration by releasing people, starting with those aged 50 and older and those most vulnerable to extreme temperatures. We must prioritize the health and dignity of incarcerated people,” Henderson said.
The Hidden Hazards report also urges the state to take action in eight areas—Add the clause, “vulnerability to climate hazards,” to the California Penal Code used by CDCR to identify which prisons to close, and update the State of California emergency plan to “recognize the vulnerability of incarcerated people,” among other recommendations.
The Ella Baker Center, along with our colleagues across the criminal justice movement, continues to urge lawmakers to reduce the footprint of prisons and carceral punishment in the state by fully closing prisons in warm shutdown mode and increasing credit-earning opportunities for incarcerated people.
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