For over 25 years, the primary goal of the Prisoners' Rights Union has been to educate California prisoners of their civil rights and to aid in the advocacy of human rights for all prisoners. PRU does not handle individual cases, but we monitor conditions  and support class-action lawsuits that effect the entire population. California law establishing prisoners' rights can be found in penal code section 2600, and the enumerated fundamental human rights in the U.S. California Constitution. 
     The California Prisoner is  a PRU publication which reports on the prisoner/prison issues and the current status of related legislative and judicial decisions  that effect the lives of prisoners and their families.  Each issue of the newspaper covers a particular focus that impacts the life of prisoners in the California Department of Corrections'  (CDoC) 70 + prisons  (and county Jails),  care,  custody  and control. (Click here to  see a map of the ratio of the  number of jails to schools in California.) There are feature columns including pertinent case law, class action developments, the latest legislative bills, health, visiting and other topics encountered by prisoners, their families, friends and advocates.
     The PRU publishes a Resource Guide, which includes over 800 organizations, agencies, and offices that offer assistance, information and/or programs for prisoners, parolees and their families.  The guide includes names, addresses and telephone numbers of government representatives and agencies for a donation of $10.00.
     Inside/Out Press is a project of the PRU that publishes legal self help manuals for prisoners. These manuals pertain to 1.) pretrial 2.) jail/prison conditions and 3.) post-conviction remedies. Each manual is comprehensive for a specific topic, with explanations, motions and/or forms, instructions, strategies, and case law where necessary. 
     [Ordering information for the California Prisoner will be published on this web site in the near future. Please bookmark and check back.]
     PRU publishes a variety of self-help manuals on related issues. These manuals identify the authority and explain rules, regulations, and procedures CDoC is required to follow. There is extensive information, detailed explanations, adminstrative remedies, alternatives to litigation, and strategies designed for prison and prison-related problems.
     These manuals can be utilized by prisoners, jailhouse lawyers, paralegals, attorneys and any interested person. The materials are written in plain language. They are prepared for a nonlegal person to comprehend the process, the procedures, the system, and the law to protect and preserve individual rights.  All of our information is designed for California prisoners. However in many cases, it can be utilized by out of state prisoners as a starting point and modified where necessary to conform with other states'  laws and/ or regulations.
     Federal Law, mandated by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), establishes guidelines, rules and regulations and policies that all state agencies must follow. In California, the CDoC administration and operations while in custody are controlled by California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 15, Division 3. Out-of- state prisoners can find out which Code of Regulation, Title 15, and Division which the state prison  they are confined in must comply with.  Just  ask a law librarian or your state representative.