California State Prison, Solano
California State Prison, Solano (SOL) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Vacaville, Solano County, California, adjacent to the California Medical Facility. The facility is also referenced as Solano State Prison, CSP-Solano, and CSP-SOL.[3][4][5]
 | |
| Location | Vacaville, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38.322°N 121.975°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Medium |
| Capacity | 2,594 |
| Population | 3,326 (128.2% capacity) (as of January 31, 2023[1]) |
| Opened | August 1984 |
| Managed by | California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation |
| Warden | Robert Neuschmid[2] |
Facilities
Prison sign with California state seal
Entrance to Solano State Prison
Aerial view of Solano State Prison (left) with California Medical Facility in the background (right)
SOL's 146 acres (59 ha) include the following facilities, among others:[3]
- Level II housing: Open dormitories with secure perimeter fences and armed coverage
- Level III housing: Individual cells, fenced perimeters and armed coverage
Population and staff
As of fiscal year 2006/2007, SOL had a total of 1,308 staff and an annual operating budget of $158.4 million.[6] As of February 2011, it had a design capacity of 2,610 but a total institution population of 5,050, for an occupancy rate of 193.5 percent.[7]
As of July 31, 2022, SOL was incarcerating people at 124.7% of its design capacity, with 3,255 occupants.[8]
History
The California State Prison at Solano opened in August 1984.[9] SOL was overseen by the warden of the California Medical Facility until January 1992, when a separate warden was assigned.[10] By 1998, SOL was so crowded that "emergency triple bunks" were added.[11] In 2008/2009 triple bunking was removed and the gyms by August 2009 were not holding inmates.
A 2001 U.S. District Court ruling and a 2002 U.S. Court of Appeals decision supported the "right of Muslim inmates" at SOL "to attend regular weekly religious services and wear beards in accordance with their faith".[12]
Notable inmates
- William Ray Bonner (born 1948), spree killer[13]
- Anthony Jacques Broussard (born c. 1965), murderer of Marcy Renee Conrad[14]
- Larry Green (born 1953), one of the Death Angels[14]
- Spoon Jackson (born 1957), murderer and poet[15]
- Sanyika Shakur (1963–2021), gang member; was interviewed at SOL; paroled[14][16]
- Johnny Spain (born 1949), member of the San Quentin Six; paroled in 1988[17]
- James Tramel (c. 1967), Episcopal priest convicted of murder; was paroled by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006[18][19]
- Anthony Wimberly (born 1962), serial killer; sentenced to three years for burglary and robbery; paroled in 1983
- Loi Nguyen, the only surviving perpetrator of the 1991 Sacramento hostage crisis[20]
- Jarad Nava, from They Call Us Monsters paroled in 2020
References
- "California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: Monthly Report of Population As of Midnight January 31, 2023" (PDF). California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Internal Oversight and Research. January 31, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- CDCR. "CDCR - California State Prison Solano (SOL)". www.cdcr.ca.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. California's Correctional Facilities. 6 March 2011.
- California State Prison, Solano (SOL) Guide. Prison Talk Online thread, 14 May 2006, accessed 16 Dec 2007.
- Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Appointments. Archived 2008-10-26 at the Wayback Machine 21 Dec 2006.
- California State Prison, Solano (SOL) (2009). "Institution Statistics". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Monthly Report of Population as of Midnight February 23, 2011.
- "California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: Monthly Report of Population As of Midnight July 31, 2022" (PDF). California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Internal Oversight and Research. July 31, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- Furillo, Andy. "Prison boom fades. As the building grinds to a stop, officials grapple less with housing criminals and more with figuring out how to return them to society." Sacramento Bee, July 12, 2004.
- California State Prison, Solano (SOL) (2011). "Historical Notes". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
- Stites, Roxanne. Squeezing in surplus prisoners - Already overcrowded, California State Prison, Solano ready for "triple bunking" to hold even more. The Reporter (Vacaville, CA), April 13, 1998.
- "Hamlin, Brian. Inmates can worship on their terms". The Reporter (Vacaville, CA), December 31, 2002.
- https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HDFcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mVUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6054,2839887
- "CDCR Public Inmate Locator Disclaimer".
- "Spoon Jackson". 28 April 2021.
- "'Monster Kody' — Monster No More?". 10 September 2019.
- Larry D. Hatfield (January 7, 1985). "Last vestiges of radical movement will go on trial in Bingham case". The Day – via news.google.com.
- "Dispatch: Inmate ordained to priesthood in Solano State Prison". www.gracecathedral.org. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- "Inmate Who Became a Priest is Paroled by Gov". Los Angeles Times. 10 March 2006.
- Rosalio Ahumada (April 4, 2021). "'I'll never forget': Good Guys hostage crisis in south Sacramento 30 years later". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
