Centinela Release Lookup

Centinela Prison Releases

Centinela State Prison is located in Imperial County but belongs to CDCR. That makes the release path different from RADF, HHCC, and OFDF. A person released from Centinela should be checked through state-prison records and supervision records, not through the Imperial County Sheriff's jail release process unless there was a separate county booking. The state record can involve current custody, parole-eligible dates, BPH proceedings, parole, PRCS, discharge, transfer, detainer, or a court-ordered release.

The research describes Centinela as a CDCR institution near Imperial and El Centro. CDCR states that it confines General Population Level I, Level III, Level III sensitive-needs, and maximum-security Level IV inmates. It was named for Mount Signal, also known as Centinela, near the U.S.-Mexico border. Those facts make the facility local to Imperial County, but they do not make its releases county-jail releases. CDCR remains the source system.

Note: A county jail search does not confirm a Centinela release unless the person also had a sheriff booking.

Confirm Centinela Release

Start with CIRIS for a current CDCR person. CA.gov says CIRIS includes name, CDCR number, age, current location, commitment counties, admission date, and BPH dates and outcomes for people currently in CDCR custody. BPH also says the controlling parole eligible date can be available through CDCR's public search. If the person has already been released or discharged and no current record is visible, do not treat that absence as a complete answer. Use CDCR case records, Centinela facility records, DAPO, PRCS, VINE, BPH, or the court case as the next source.

1. Search CIRIS with the CDCR number when available.
2. Compare age, location, commitment county, admission date, and BPH information before relying on a match.
3. Read any EPRD, MEPD, NPED, YPED, EPED, or controlling parole eligible date in the correct sentence context.
4. If release already occurred, confirm through CDCR case records, DAPO, PRCS, BPH result, VINE notice, or court order.
5. Use county jail records only for an Imperial County sheriff booking, court hold, or transfer record.

Centinela Records Contact

The CDCR facility source lists Centinela State Prison at 2302 Brown Road, Imperial, CA 92251, with main phone (760) 337-7900. For statewide search assistance, CDCR's Identification Unit is listed at (916) 445-6713, Monday through Friday excluding holidays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific. The CDCR main number is (916) 324-7308. BPH handles parole suitability schedules, hearing results, and records for board proceedings, while DAPO handles state parole after release.

For release confirmation, include the CDCR number if known. Ask for the specific record that matches the question: current location, release date, parole assignment, PRCS referral, BPH outcome, transfer, or discharge. If the person is reporting in Imperial County after release, the DAPO El Centro satellite or Imperial County Probation may be relevant depending on whether the release is state parole or PRCS.

About Centinela Prison

The CDCR Centinela State Prison page is the official facility source. The research identifies Centinela as a CDCR institution with several custody levels and notes that the facility name connects to Mount Signal/Centinela near the border. For released-inmate work, that local identity is useful but secondary. The operational point is that Centinela releases are state releases, and the release trail runs through CDCR records, BPH, DAPO, PRCS, VINE, and court records.

The matched manifest image below comes from the CDCR Centinela facility page.

The screenshot supports Centinela's state-prison status and keeps the lookup path tied to CDCR rather than to the sheriff's jail complex.

Centinela BPH Dates

Centinela release questions often include projected, eligible, or parole-hearing dates. California does not use one universal public label for every release date. BPH identifies EPRD for determinate terms, MEPD for life-with-parole terms, NPED for nonviolent parole review, YPED for youth parole, and EPED for elderly parole. BPH says the controlling parole eligible date is the earliest applicable opportunity for parole consideration or release and is public through CDCR's search.

BPH hearing schedules and results are useful when a Centinela person has a parole suitability proceeding. The BPH results page uses terms such as Grant, Deny, Continue, Cancelled, Split, Postpone, Waive, and Stip. A Grant is not identical to the physical release date because BPH describes review steps before final release action. Use the Projected Release Date page for the date vocabulary and credit limits.

Centinela Local Supervision

A person released from Centinela to Imperial County may report to state parole or local PRCS. CDCR DAPO handles parole. The Southern Region directory lists the Chula Vista 2 satellite office at 279 South Waterman Avenue in El Centro, phone (760) 352-7524. Imperial County Probation handles PRCS and other local supervision categories. The Adult Services research states that probation does not release who is on probation to the public because of confidentiality issues, so court records and authorized agency contact often matter more than a public lookup.

This DAPO and PRCS split is a local release issue. Someone can be out of Centinela and still under supervision. A release record should be read with the supervision assignment, court sentence, and any conditions that are public.

Centinela and County Records

Imperial County contains county jail facilities and CDCR prisons, but each system keeps its own records. The sheriff's records unit is the right place for a RADF, HHCC, or OFDF release. CDCR is the right place for Centinela release processing. The Superior Court may connect both systems when a county case results in a state-prison commitment, resentencing, probation order, or dismissal. That court record can explain why the person moved from local custody into CDCR or from CDCR into supervision.

If a person was first booked by the sheriff and later sent to Centinela, request the county booking or transfer record for the local custody event and the CDCR record for the state-prison release. Do not merge those two events into one release date unless the records do so.

For a records request, keep the wording tied to the system. Ask CDCR for the state-prison release, parole, PRCS, discharge, transfer, or case-record status. Ask the sheriff only for the local jail booking or transfer event. Ask the court for the sentencing, resentencing, dismissal, or supervision order that explains why the person moved between systems.