AB 1140 will set up pilot programs for single-occupancy cells in state prisons to promote public safety and reduce recidivism
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael), in partnership with San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, announced Assembly Bill (AB) 1140, the Single-Occupancy Cell Pilot Program of 2026, which requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to develop and implement a pilot program to house incarcerated individuals at 4 adult prison facilities in single-occupancy cells by January 1, 2027. Single-occupancy cells provide better safety and security for both prisoners and correctional staff, and can allow prisoners to better engage in rehabilitative programs.
“Reducing recidivism rates and ensuring the safety of prisoners and correctional staff should be the top priority of our state prisons,” said Assemblymember Damon Connolly, who represents the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. “Innovative solutions such as single-occupancy cells will help improve our public safety, both inside and outside of correctional facilities.”
“The Single Occupancy Pilot Program will make our communities safer and work to reduce recidivism by taking critical steps to make CDCR facilities safer and more effective in their efforts to provide rehabilitation opportunities to incarcerated people,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “Since launching the Access to Hope Initiative, my staff and I have engaged in numerous dialogues with incarcerated men as well as guards and staff at San Quentin to better understand what kinds of prison reforms will have meaningful impacts on both facility and community safety. I would like to thank Assemblymember Connolly for his leadership and am proud to partner with him to get this important legislation passed that advances common sense reforms on the inside that will make the public safer on the outside.”
AB 1140 would require 10 percent of the population housed at each of the four designated facilities to be housed in single-occupancy cells. CDCR will develop the criteria to determine which incarcerated persons will be part of the pilot program. The bill also contains reporting requirements on the outcome of the pilot program, including the total number of incarcerated persons housed in single-occupancy cells and a breakdown of disciplinary incidents and incidents involving violence at the pilot sites.
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Assemblymember Connolly represents the entirety of Marin County and Southern Sonoma County