California Men's Colony (CMC) is an American male-only
state prison
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
located northwest of the city of
San Luis Obispo
; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...
in
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a County (United States), county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo ...
, along the central California coast approximately halfway between
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
.
Facilities
CMC has two separate facilities on its : East and West. The minimum-security West facility includes Level I ("without a secure perimeter") housing and Level II ("with secure perimeter fences and armed coverage") open dormitories.
[California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation]
California's Correctional Facilities.
15 Oct 2007. The medium-security east facility has level III with individual cells, fenced perimeters and armed coverage, with housing divided into four quadrangles, as well as a licensed hospital and mental health delivery system.
[
As of Fiscal Year 2006/2007, CMC had a total of 1,870 staff and an annual operating budget of $151 million.]
As of January 31, 2023, CMC had an inmate population of 3,254, or 85.3% of its design capacity.
Programs
CMC has been called a "country club" and "garden spot" among California prisons because of its wide variety of vocational, educational and psychological-treatment programs.[Lifsher, Marc. Manson family member is transferred from men's colony to medium security. ''Orange County Register''. April 30, 1993.] Notable CMC programs include:
* Arts in Corrections, "designed to rehabilitate inmates through art." [Andrews, Amy]
California Men's Colony inmates take to the stage in unique rehab program.
KSBY-TV, November 20, 2007.
* A "Level I camp program for fire suppression, conservation and other community service work." The jobs include "trash pickup and removal" at Port San Luis Harbor District properties, including Avila Beach.
* Central Coast Adult School, which "aims to reduce the recidivism
Recidivism (; from 'recurring', derived from 'again' and 'to fall') is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been trained to Extinction (psycholo ...
rate and help inmates rejoin the work force."
* Prison Industry Authority, which "manufactures and ships millions of dollars of prison-made products annually."[Yadegaran, Jessica. Christmas Behind Bars - What's It Like to be a Prisoner This Time of Year? ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo, CA), December 15, 2002.]
* Prisoners Against Child Abuse, which "donates more than $100,000 a year to local children's organizations."[
* ]Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subs ...
.[California's Prisoners Tell How They See the System.]
''San Francisco Chronicle'', August 20, 2000.
* Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
.[
]
History
The West Facility opened in 1954 and the East Facility opened in 1961. Three female former CMC workers won a 1998 settlement for $4.3 million as a result of a sexual harassment lawsuit, which was "the largest such settlement ever for the Department of Corrections." A San Luis Obispo County grand jury
A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...
produced a 2005 report observing that "while old and overcrowded, CMC was well maintained." The West facility is slated for closure.
Notable inmates
* Bobby Beausoleil
Robert Kenneth Beausoleil (born November 6, 1947) is an American murderer and associate of Charles Manson and members of his communal Manson Family. He was convicted and sentenced to death for the July 27, 1969, fatal stabbing of Gary Hinman ...
, convicted murderer associated with the Manson Family (though convicted of a crime pre-dating the Tate/LaBianca murders), was incarcerated at CMC during the 1990s. His wife, Barbara, lived nearby for years.
* Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris
Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker (September 27, 1940 December 13, 2019) and Roy Lewis Norris (February 5, 1948 February 24, 2020), also known as the Tool Box Killers, were two American serial killers and Rape, rapists who committed the kidnapping, ...
met at CMC in 1978, before they committed their crime spree.
* In 1996, Christian Brando
Christian Devi Brando (May 11, 1958January 26, 2008) was an American actor who was one of the eleven acknowledged children of actor Marlon Brando, and the only one Brando had with his first wife, former actress Anna Kashfi.
On May 16, 1990, B ...
was released from CMC "after serving five years of a 10-year term in the fatal shooting of his half sister's boyfriend."
* Bruce McGregor Davis, convicted Manson Family murderer serving two life sentences for his parts in two Manson Family murders.
* Richard Allen Davis was paroled from CMC in June 1993 "after serving half of a 16-year sentence" for kidnapping.
*Rapper Tracy Lamar Davis
Tracy Lamar Davis (born April 27, 1966), better known as Big Tray Deee or simply Tray Deee, is an American rapper. He is a member of rap group Tha Eastsidaz (alongside Goldie Loc and Snoop Dogg), as well as the Diirty OGz (alongside Tha Chill, K ...
(a.k.a. Big Tray Deee
Tracy Lamar Davis (born April 27, 1966), better known as Big Tray Deee or simply Tray Deee, is an American rapper. He is a member of rap group Tha Eastsidaz (alongside Goldie Loc and Snoop Dogg), as well as the Diirty OGz (alongside Tha Chill, ...
) was convicted for attempted murder in 2005 for firing at rival gang members. He was sentenced to twelve years in prison but was released after nine years on April 3, 2014.
* Jim Gordon, the drummer, spent some time at CMC after killing his mother in 1983.
* Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson was in CMC between 1984 and October 1986 "for sexually assaulting two teenage girls and then trying to bribe them not to testify against him."
* Larry Hurwitz. The "Starry Night" murderer.
* Maulana Karenga
Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga (born Ronald McKinley Everett, July 14, 1941), previously known as Ron Karenga, is an American activist, author and professor of Africana studies, best known as the creator of the pan-African and African-American holid ...
was incarcerated in 1971 after being convicted of felony violence against a woman victim who testified he tortured her.
* Charles Keating Jr. began his stay at CMC in 1992, but his state and federal convictions were overturned, so he was released in October 1996.
* Suge Knight
Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. ( ; born April 19, 1965) is an American former record executive, former National Football League, NFL player, and convicted felon, who is the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Knight was a central f ...
was incarcerated at CMC beginning in February 1997 but was later transferred to Mule Creek State Prison.
* Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Evaluations of Leary are polarized, ranging from "bold oracle" to "publicity hound". Accordin ...
was imprisoned at CMC after being sentenced in March 1970 for possession of marijuana, but escaped from the West facility in September 1970 with the assistance of the Weatherman organization.[Kistler, Robert. Leary, Onetime "High Priest" of Drug Culture, Flees Prison. ''Los Angeles Times'', September 14, 1970.][Maxwell, Evan. Fugitive Leary Under Arrest in Afghanistan. ''Los Angeles Times'', October 25, 1970.] He had been placed in "the least security-rated institution in the state" because "he did not 'represent either violence potential or serious escape risk'."[ After spending time with ]Eldridge Cleaver
Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an American writer and political activist who became an early leader of the Black Panther Party.
In 1968, Cleaver wrote '' Soul on Ice'', a collection of essays that, at the time of i ...
in Algeria and attempting to "gain political asylum" in Switzerland, Leary was arrested in Afghanistan in January 1973.[ After being convicted of "escape from a minimum security prison," he was sent to ]California Medical Facility
California Medical Facility (CMF) is a male-only state prison medical facility located in the city of Vacaville in Solano County, California. It is older than California State Prison, Solano, the other state prison in Vacaville.
Facilities
...
.
* Danny Masterson
Daniel Peter Masterson (born March 13, 1976) Most sources give birth date March 13, 1976. FilmReference.com gives March 3, 1976. is an American actor. He portrayed Steven Hyde in ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), Milo Foster in ''Men at Work' ...
, an actor best known for his work on the sitcom ''That '70s Show
''That '70s Show'' is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from 197 ...
'' (1998–2006), is currently incarcerated at CMC as of February 2024 after being convicted of rape. Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison, which means he might be eligible for parole after serving 25½ years. His lawyers have said they will appeal the conviction.
* Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell was at CMC between 2000 and 2004. Much of the film documentary '' Hooked: The Legend of Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell'' was filmed while Hook was at CMC.
* Herbert Mullin "spent nearly 20 years" at CMC "before being transferred to Mule Creek in 1993."
*Prominent Black Panther
A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...
leader Huey P. Newton
Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African American revolutionary and political activist who co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966. He ran the party as its first leader and crafted its ten-point manifesto with ...
was at CMC between 1968 and 1970. He was confined to his cell because he refused to work.
* Craig Peyer, former CHP officer convicted of murdering Cara Knott while on duty. His next parole hearing will be in 2027.
* Mark Rogowski
Mark Anthony "Gator" Rogowski (born August 10, 1966) is an American former professional skateboarder who was convicted of murder. He was mainly prominent in the 1980s and early 1990s. Rogowski's career ended when he pled guilty for assaulting, ...
, former professional skateboarder pleaded guilty on March 20, 1991 to the murder (first-degree) and rape of Jessica Bergsten.
* Lawrence Singleton in 1987 "earned an early release rom CMCthrough a work program and good behavior" after having served 8 years of a 14-year sentence.
* Edgar Smith, now at High Desert State Prison (California), had a parole hearing in March 2007.
* Ike Turner
Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...
served 18 months of a four-year sentence at CMC between March 1990 and September 1991 for cocaine possession offenses.
* Charles "Tex" Watson was at CMC between the early 1970s and 1993, where he "married and fathered three children during conjugal visits" and "began operating a nonprofit Christian ministry that distributed audio tapes and solicited donations."[ He was then transferred to the medium-security Mule Creek State Prison. A spokesman for the prison stated that the move was "part of the routine shuffling of inmates around the state"; however, others said that it was related to pressure from the family of ]Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she appeared in advertisements and small television roles before appearing in films as well as working as a model. After receiv ...
, recommendations of the state Board of Prison Terms, and the actions of a state senator.[
* Jean-Pierre Michael Wehry was arrested in the 2006 Riverside, California '']To Catch a Predator
''To Catch a Predator'' is an American reality television series in the television news magazine program ''Dateline NBC'' featuring confrontations of host Chris Hansen, partly filmed with a hidden camera, with adult men arriving at a Sting oper ...
'' sting. He received the longest sentence in ''To Catch a Predator'' history (75 years to life) due to California's three-strikes law
In the United States, habitual offender laws (commonly referred to as three-strikes laws) have been implemented since at least 1952, and are part of the United States Justice Department's Anti-Violence Strategy. These laws require a person who ...
and remains incarcerated. He released an autobiography titled ''In For Life: Confessions of a Three-Strikes Prisoner'' under the pen name Damien Lartigue.
* Richard Allen Minsky, convicted serial rapist.
* John Timothy Earnest, perpetrator of the Poway synagogue shooting
A shooting occurred on April 27, 2019, at Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, California, United States, a city which borders the north inland side of San Diego, on the last day of the Jewish Passover holiday, which fell on a Shabbat. Armed wit ...
where he murdered one and injured three.
References
External links
California Men's Colony
- California Department of Corrections
* Center for Land Use Interpretation
California Men's Colony.
Entry in Land Use Database of "unusual and exemplary sites throughout the United States."
{{State prisons in California
1954 establishments in California
Prisons in California
Buildings and structures in San Luis Obispo County, California
Buildings and structures in San Luis Obispo, California
Men's prisons
Men in the United States
Prisons completed in the 1950s