A bridge between inside and home.
The work your loved one does to prepare for parole is deep, personal work: understanding the past, building insight, and learning new ways to handle stress, conflict, and relationships. Coming home is a shared journey, and it goes best when the people waiting outside are growing too. These resources are here to help you understand the work your loved one is doing, and to support your own healing along the way.
Start Here
Learn the process first.
Before calling any attorney, it helps to understand how parole works. These free materials from the Prison Law Office are where I often send people to begin, so they can ask better questions and make informed choices.
California Prison & Parole Law Handbook
from Prison Law Office
A thorough, plain-language guide to California prison and parole law. Chapters can be read, downloaded, and printed free online.
Read the handbookInformational Resources
from Prison Law Office
Free information packets on parole, prison conditions, and other legal topics, written for incarcerated people and their families.
Browse the resourcesOfficial Resources
From CDCR and the Board.
The Board of Parole Hearings and CDCR publish guides, forms, and tools for finding and visiting a loved one, following hearings, and understanding the rights of victims and survivors. The regulations set out the procedures every hearing follows.
The California Parole Hearing Process Handbook
from Board of Parole Hearings
The Board’s own guide to how hearings work, from preparation through decision. Section 2.11 (pages 23 and 25) explains what a support letter should include.
Open the handbook (PDF)Information Considered at a Hearing
from Board of Parole Hearings
The Board’s summary of the records and factors a panel reviews when deciding suitability.
Read on the Board’s siteCommon BPH Forms
from Board of Parole Hearings
The Board’s official forms, including the petition to advance a hearing date and requests for accommodation, many available in several languages.
See the formsRequest a Hearing Transcript
from Board of Parole Hearings
Transcripts can be requested online or by mail. Electronic copies are free; printed copies carry a small per-page fee.
Request a transcriptEn Banc Meetings
from Board of Parole Hearings
The full Board meets monthly in public, and agendas are posted about ten days before each meeting.
Meeting schedule Meeting agendasInmate Locator (CIRIS)
from CDCR
Search CDCR’s population records to find where a person is housed.
Search CIRISVisiting Information
from CDCR
Visiting rules, schedules, and current status for each institution.
Plan a visitOffice of Victim & Survivor Rights & Services
from CDCR
Information on victims’ rights, notifications, and participation in parole hearings.
Visit OVSRSTitle 15, California Code of Regulations
from CDCR
The regulations that govern CDCR and the Board of Parole Hearings, including hearing procedures, advancement, and prison rules.
Find the regulationsPrograms & Learning
Growth inside and beyond.
Courses and programs your loved one can take while inside, many by mail, and a path to college after release. You can share these with them or help them enroll.
Self-Help Correspondence Courses
from Partnership for Re-Entry Program (PREP)
Self-paced courses by mail on insight, victim awareness, anger management, criminal thinking, recovery, parenting, and more, several in Spanish. Each completed course earns a certificate for the C-file.
Visit PREPLifer Parole Programs & Newsletter
from Life Support Alliance
A Sacramento-area organization devoted to California lifers and their families. It offers correspondence courses and in-prison classes on parole readiness, a monthly newsletter, online seminars for families, and advocacy on parole issues.
Visit Life Support AllianceGRIP Program
from GRIP Training Institute
A year-long program begun at San Quentin that builds mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and understanding of harm to victims.
Visit GRIP ResourcesGarden-Based Healing Programs
from Land Together
Garden-based healing programs in California prisons and reentry support after release.
Visit Land Together Watch videosProject Rebound
from California State University
Helps formerly incarcerated people enroll in and complete college at California State University campuses, with advising, community, and support. Many CSU campuses have a chapter, including Sacramento State.
Sacramento State Project ReboundFree Yoga Books & Videos
from Prison Yoga Project
Trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness, with two free books available to people inside and practice videos online.
Request free books Watch videosFaith & Spiritual Paths
Many traditions, one journey.
Transformation can be rooted in faith, spirituality, or neither. These organizations offer study, community, and support across traditions, many by mail, so you can share them with your loved one inside.
Bible Study by Mail
from Crossroads Prison Ministries · Christian
Free Bible-study courses by mail with volunteer mentors who write back. Family members can enroll a loved one online.
Visit CrossroadsAngel Tree & Prison Programs
from Prison Fellowship · Christian
Faith-based programs inside prisons, and Angel Tree, which delivers Christmas gifts to children on behalf of an incarcerated parent.
Visit Prison FellowshipIslamic Education & Reentry Support
from Tayba Foundation · Muslim
Islamic education by mail and in classrooms, support for college and paralegal study, and help with reentry.
Visit TaybaIslamic Books, Mentoring & Reentry
from Link Outside · Muslim
Islamic books, letters, visits, mentoring, and reentry help with housing and jobs, based in Long Beach.
Visit Link OutsideSpiritual & Family Support
from Aleph Institute · Jewish
Visits, religious supplies, and holiday programs for incarcerated people, with support for their families, all at no charge.
Visit AlephMindfulness Classes & Mentoring
from Boundless Freedom Project · Buddhist
Mindfulness classes in California prisons, correspondence packets, and mentoring after release, based in Sacramento.
Visit Boundless FreedomBooks & Guided Meditations
from Prison Mindfulness Institute · Buddhist
Books on mindfulness and Buddhism sent to people inside, a mindfulness course by mail, and free guided meditations online.
Visit the Institute Guided meditationsWellbriety & Warrior Down
from White Bison · Native American
Native-led, culturally grounded recovery, including Warrior Down peer support for people coming home.
Visit White BisonFree Interfaith Books
from Human Kindness Foundation · Interfaith
Free interfaith spiritual books, including We’re All Doing Time, plus newsletters and a family activity book.
Visit Human KindnessRecovery
Support for every path.
Recovery looks different for everyone. These programs offer both spiritual and secular paths, along with support for the families who walk beside them.
A.A. Meeting Finder
from Alcoholics Anonymous
How to find local A.A. meetings, including the free Meeting Guide app.
Find a meetingNA Meeting Search
from Narcotics Anonymous
Search for in-person and virtual NA meetings.
Find a meetingSMART Recovery Meetings
from SMART Recovery
Free, evidence-based support groups with no religious content, in person and online, including groups for family and friends.
Visit SMART RecoveryChrist-Centered Recovery Groups
from Celebrate Recovery
A Christ-centered recovery program for hurts, habits, and hang-ups, with groups throughout California.
Visit Celebrate RecoveryIslamic 12-Step Recovery
from Millati Islami
A 12-step recovery fellowship grounded in Islam, with in-person meetings in many cities, Zoom meetings most days, and a phone meeting.
Visit Millati IslamiACA Meeting Search
from Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families
A 12-step fellowship for adults who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes, with in-person, online, and phone meetings.
Find a meetingMental Health & Wellness
Caring for the whole person.
Support for mental health, for the person coming home and for the people who love them.
Call or Text 988
from 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 for free, confidential support during a mental health or suicide crisis.
Visit 988Family Support & Education
from NAMI California
Education, support groups, and advocacy for people living with mental illness and their families.
Visit NAMI CaliforniaHealing & Holistic
Healing for the whole family.
Incarceration affects everyone who loves the person inside, and healing continues after coming home. Community resources for families and for people after release, including somatic and body-based practices, sound healing, and other holistic approaches, are coming soon.
Specialized Support
Resources for specific communities.
Some people and families face added challenges: language and culture, immigration, gender identity, military service, disability, parenthood, or age. These organizations offer support suited to those needs.
Support for AAPI People Inside
from Asian Prisoner Support Committee · Oakland
Ethnic-studies classes inside California prisons, pen pals, reentry help, and campaigns for refugees facing deportation.
Visit APSCAAPI Reentry & Healing Circles
from API RISE · Los Angeles
Culturally grounded support, healing circles, and leadership development for Asian and Pacific Islander people coming home and their families.
Visit API RISEHelp with CDCR-to-ICE Transfers
from Asian Law Caucus · San Francisco
Free legal help for Asian American and Pacific Islander immigrants and refugees facing transfer to immigration custody after release.
Get helpGuides for Southeast Asian Families
from Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Free guides and Khmer and Vietnamese hotlines for Cambodian, Lao, and Vietnamese families facing deportation, including pardon guides.
See the guidesSikh Religious Rights Help
from Sikh Coalition
Free help when a Sikh person’s religious practices, such as uncut hair or diet, are denied in custody.
Visit the Sikh CoalitionSupport for Trans, Gender-Variant & Intersex People
from TGI Justice Project · San Francisco
Led by people who have been inside: letters, a newsletter, help with name and gender-marker changes, and reentry support.
Visit TGIJPLGBTQ+ Pen Pals & Newsletter
from Black & Pink
Free pen-pal matching and a newsletter for LGBTQ+ people in prison and people living with HIV.
Visit Black & PinkHealth Care for Reentry Veterans
from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
VA outreach before release, with connections to health care, mental health, housing, and jobs after coming home.
Learn moreVeteran Housing, Benefits & Discharge Help
from Swords to Plowshares · San Francisco
Free housing, legal, employment, and benefits help for veterans, regardless of discharge status, including discharge upgrades.
Visit Swords to PlowsharesReentry Housing for Women
from A New Way of Life · Los Angeles
Safe homes for women coming home, record clearance, family reunification, and leadership programs.
Visit A New Way of LifeManuals for Incarcerated Parents
from Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Free guides on custody, visitation, and reunification, some in Spanish, plus All of Us or None, a group led by formerly incarcerated people.
Visit LSPCDisability Rights in Custody
from Disability Rights California
California’s disability rights agency, offering free help when a person’s disability rights are not respected in prison.
Visit DRCSupport for Deaf People Inside
from HEARD
ASL-accessible advocacy and reentry support for Deaf and disabled people in prison.
Visit HEARDReentry Support for Adults 50+
from Senior Ex-Offender Program · San Francisco
Counseling, case management, support groups, and transitional housing for older adults before and after release.
Learn moreReentry
Support for coming home.
Release plans are stronger when they are built on real connections. These organizations help families prepare now, and help your loved one rebuild after coming home.
Roadmap to Reentry
from Root & Rebound
A free online guide to California law for people coming home and the families and advocates who support them.
Open the roadmapPeer Support & Reentry Services
from Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC)
A community of formerly incarcerated people offering peer support, reentry services, and advocacy, with an office in Sacramento.
Visit ARC211 Local Help Line
from 211 California
Connects people to local housing, food, health care, and benefits. Call 211 or search online.
Search 211Cal-ID Program
from CDCR
Helps eligible people get a California ID card before release, an important first step for jobs, housing, and benefits.
Learn about Cal-IDJob Training & Tattoo Removal
from Homeboy Industries
Free tattoo removal, job training, mental health care, education, and community for people leaving gangs or prison, based in Los Angeles.
Visit Homeboy IndustriesFree & Low-Cost Tattoo Removal
from Jails to Jobs
A national directory of free and low-cost tattoo removal programs, plus job-search help for people with records.
Find tattoo removalArticles
Reflections on the work of change.
Into the Daylight: Music as a Path to Reflection and Healing
What one man's journey from a life sentence to parole teaches about music as a tool for reflection, healing, and change.
Read the Full Post →
When Childhood Emotional Needs Go Unmet
Why childhood emotional neglect can matter to parole — and why lasting transformation may require growth on both sides of the prison wall.
Read the Full Post →Book Recommendations
Reading for the journey.
A list of books I recommend for self-reflection, insight, and growth is on its way.
Workbooks & Templates
Coming soon.
Free workbooks on self-esteem, boundaries, self-regulation, and other foundations of change will be posted here, the same materials I share with clients. Sample formats for a mental health plan and a relapse-prevention plan will follow. They are starting points only. Deciding what a plan needs and writing it in your own words is part of the preparation itself.
Links to outside organizations are provided for information only. Lori Kelley Law is not affiliated with these organizations and is not responsible for their content.