Life In A Prison Cell Around The World

Pelican Bay State Prison, Crescent City, California

Pelican Bay State Prison’s primary purpose is to house the "worst of the worst" violent male prisoners from the California state prison system. 40% of Pelican State's inmates are serving life sentences and nearly all have histories of violence at other California prisons which resulted in their transfer to Pelican Bay. The sole exception are the institution's minimum security inmates who work as part of the prison's outside maintenance and firefighter programs.