Folsom State Prison Overview
The official CDCR Folsom State Prison page identifies FSP at 300 Prison Road in Represa and lists the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as the operating agency. The facility primarily houses medium security general population Level II and Level III male inmates, plus Minimum Security Level I male inmates in a minimum support facility outside the main perimeter.
Folsom State Prison is physically in Sacramento County, but the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office does not operate it. That distinction is essential for inmate search. A person arrested in Sacramento County may start in Main Jail or RCCC, appear in the Sheriff Inmate Information portal, and later move into CDCR custody after a state-prison sentence. Once that transfer occurs, the correct lookup becomes CDCR CIRIS, not the Sacramento Sheriff roster.
Folsom State Prison Capacity and Population
The CDCR Weekly TPOP1 report dated April 15, 2026 listed Folsom State Prison population at 2,812. The same report listed design capacity as 2,065, which equals 136.2 percent occupied, and staffed capacity as 2,985. These are state prison population figures. They should not be added to Sacramento County's Main Jail and RCCC average daily population when discussing the county jail system.
Staffed capacity helps explain how CDCR can report occupancy over design capacity while still operating the institution. Design capacity describes the original or planned design measure. Staffed capacity reflects operational staffing capacity as reported by CDCR. For search users, neither number confirms where a specific person is today. The current location field in CIRIS is the practical lookup point.
How to Look Up an Inmate at Folsom State Prison
Use CDCR CIRIS for Folsom State Prison, not the Sacramento Sheriff Inmate Information portal. CIRIS supports name search and CDCR number search. The CDCR number is the best search key for common names. CA.gov says results can include name, CDCR number, age, current location, commitment county, admission date, and Board of Parole Hearing dates or outcomes where applicable.
The CIRIS image is tied to lookup only. The CDCR facility screenshots for Folsom failed in the capture manifest, so this page does not use a fake facility image.
- Open CDCR CIRIS.
- Search by CDCR number when available, or by first and last name.
- Confirm the current location field shows Folsom State Prison if that is the expected placement.
- Use CDCR family, visiting, mail, and facility resources for contact rules after confirming location.
If the person was only recently arrested in Sacramento County, search the Sheriff roster first. If the person is in federal custody, use the BOP locator. CIRIS is for CDCR custody, not county jail booking records, federal pretrial detention, or ICE custody.
For Sacramento County case context before a CDCR transfer, Sheriff Jim Cooper's office operates Sheriff Inmate Information for county jail custody, Sacramento Superior Court provides Criminal Public Case Access for filed criminal cases, and the Sheriff's Records and Warrants FAQ explains records and warrant-counter questions. Those Sacramento sources can explain the local starting point, but they do not replace CIRIS once the person is in CDCR custody.
CIRIS should also be read with its limits in mind. The research notes that CDCR describes CIRIS as informational rather than an official CDCR record and warns that data may contain errors or omissions. For family communication, the useful fields are the CDCR number and current location. For case history, commitment county can connect a prisoner back to Sacramento County or another county even when the person is housed far from the sentencing court. For court filings, the Superior Court case number remains a separate identifier.
Folsom State Prison Address and Contact
Contact Folsom State Prison for facility-specific questions, but use CIRIS for public location lookup. CDCR also provides an Identification Unit assistance phone for locator questions, listed in the research as 916-445-6713.
Folsom State Prison
300 Prison Road
Represa, CA 95671
916-985-2561
CDCR state prison; confirm visiting and mail rules through CDCR resources
Visiting Someone at Folsom State Prison
Folsom visiting is a CDCR process, not a Sacramento County jail process. Do not use Main Jail or RCCC social visitation blocks for FSP. State prison visiting generally requires approval, scheduling, compliance with CDCR rules, and facility-specific instructions. Visitors should use CDCR visiting resources and the Folsom facility page for current local instructions before traveling to Represa.
| Visit Topic | Folsom State Prison Rule Path | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Approval | Use CDCR visiting and facility instructions | State prison |
| Scheduling | Confirm current process through CDCR before travel | State prison |
| Identification and entry | Follow CDCR visitor rules, not county jail rules | State prison |
| Location check | Confirm current location in CIRIS first | Lookup |
Mail, Phone, and Money at Folsom State Prison
Mail, money, packages, phone, and family communication for Folsom State Prison must follow CDCR prison rules and FSP facility-specific mail instructions. Sacramento County jail rules about Securus Digital Mail Center, TouchPay/GTL facility number 257501, and Sheriff SIRENS release notification apply to Main Jail and RCCC. They do not control state prison mail or money for Folsom.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail address | Use CDCR Folsom facility mailing address instructions and the person's CDCR number |
| Phone and communication | Use CDCR family resources for current prison communication rules |
| Money and packages | Use CDCR family resources, not Sacramento Sheriff jail deposit channels |
| Release notification | Use CDCR and statewide victim-notification resources where applicable |
Reception, Transfer, and State Custody at Folsom
A person does not enter Folsom State Prison through ordinary street-arrest booking at the front door. For Sacramento County cases, the path often begins with arrest, booking into Main Jail or RCCC, prosecution in Sacramento Superior Court, and sentencing. RCCC can function as a central transportation point for defendants sentenced to state prison. After transfer to CDCR, the prison system handles classification, placement, programming, mail, visiting, and records.
Commitment county in CIRIS can connect a state prisoner back to Sacramento County even if the current institution changes later. Current location is more important than old county jail housing when planning a visit or sending mail. A person may have Sacramento County case history but no current Sheriff roster entry after CDCR transfer.
That difference is especially common in Sacramento County because the county contains both large Sheriff-operated jail facilities and two CDCR prisons in the Represa area. A family member may hear "Folsom" after sentencing and still have old jail paperwork from Main Jail or RCCC. The safer workflow is to preserve the court case number, the Sacramento XREF if one exists, and the CDCR number after prison admission. Each identifier belongs to a different system and should be used with the agency that created it.
About Folsom State Prison
CDCR describes Folsom as California's second-oldest prison and one of the nation's first maximum-security prisons built after the Gold Rush. The Legislature authorized construction in 1858, construction began in 1878, and the first 44 inmates arrived on July 26, 1880 after transfer from San Quentin by boat and train. CDCR notes that native granite and the American River shaped the site and that inmate labor built the first dam and canal on the American River, contributing to early hydroelectric power for Sacramento.
Programs include academic courses and career technical education through Folsom's Greystone Adult School. CDCR page material also noted Rosalinda Rosalez as acting Warden at the time harvested. Historical detail can make Folsom look like a local landmark, but for records purposes it remains a CDCR institution with state prison locator, visiting, mail, and family-resource rules.
Folsom's local significance can also blur records questions. A Sacramento County resident may see Represa, Folsom, county jail, and court references in the same case history. The clean distinction is operational control: CDCR controls FSP custody and prison records, Sacramento County Sheriff controls Main Jail and RCCC custody records, and Sacramento Superior Court controls filed criminal case records. The agency that controls the current custody status is the one that should be used for current contact instructions.
Note: Confirm current location in CIRIS and current CDCR visiting rules before traveling to Folsom State Prison.