Adult Institutions, Programs and Parole Regulations

Regulation and Policy Management Branch

The Regulation and Policy Management Branch (RPMB) is responsible for managing the development, revision, and adoption of regulations related to Adult Institutions, Programs and Parole. Any proposed departmental policy with regulatory impact must be adopted through a Rulemaking Process that meets the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The regulations must be clear, consistent, necessary, have authority in law, and not duplicate or conflict with existing regulations or other provisions of law. Working closely with the respective programs, RPMB ensures the Department rules are announced, adopted and published in the California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Division 3, Chapter 1.

Current Department regulations governing adult prison and parole operations are available through the following links:

• California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Division 3, Chapter 1
• Pending changes to Department Regulations
• Recently adopted Department Regulations
• Appendices
• Authorized pilot programs

Public Participation

The RPMB is responsible for notifying the public regarding the amendment and adoption of regulations proposed by the Department. Anyone may submit written comments regarding the proposed regulations during the announced public comment period. RPMB staff conducts a public hearing to receive comments about the regulations from the public. The merits of the proposed regulations are not debated during these hearings. The place and time of a public hearing is included in the Notice of Change to Regulations for each regulatory action. Comments received from the public during the comment period will be reviewed, summarized and responded to in the Final Statement of Reasons.

The public can submit comments regarding regulation changes in the following ways:

• Mail written comments to:
  CDCR
  Regulation and Policy Management Branch
  P.O. Box 942883
  Sacramento, CA 94283-0001
• Comments may be e-mailed to [e-mail]
• Attend the Public Hearing at the time and place announced in the Notice of Change to Regulations.

Department Operations Manual

RPMB is also responsible for Department operational policies found in the Department Operations Manual (DOM). These policies can be found in Department Operations Manual (DOM) – Updated from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019.