Beginning in March 2006, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) will institute a new policy for housing prisoners in its Reception Centers.  The change is the result of a settlement in the federal court case, Garrison Johnson v. California.

Reception Center inmates are new commitments who are transferred from county facilities to begin their state prison sentences, or parolees who have violated the conditions of their parole. As part of the resolution of Johnson v. California, Reception Center inmates will be placed in cells without their race being the primary factor in determining with whom they can be housed.

CDCR is creating an organizational plan that will assign inmates to Reception Center cells using several criteria, including age, physical characteristics and reasons for incarceration.  Once incoming offenders are evaluated using these criteria, an appropriate housing decision will be made for their stay at the Reception Center.