Richard J. Donovan Release Records

Releases from Richard J. Donovan

Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility is located at 480 Alta Road, San Diego, CA 92179. The research identifies the agency as CDCR and lists the main phone as (619) 661-6500. That agency relationship controls the release search. A Donovan release is a state-prison release, not a Sheriff's jail release, unless the person also had a separate local booking in San Diego County. The San Diego Sheriff's Who's In Jail page may confirm a county hold, a local booking, or a transfer into or out of county custody, but it does not control the final discharge from a CDCR prison sentence.

State-prison release research starts with California Incarcerated Records and Information Search, commonly styled CIRIS, at https://ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov/. The research says CIRIS can provide name, CDCR number, age, current location, commitment counties, admission date, and Board of Parole Hearing dates and outcomes for people currently in CDCR custody. For a released or soon-to-be released person, compare the CDCR number, age, commitment county, admission date, and any parole or BPH information before assuming a San Diego connection. A person can be housed at Donovan even when the commitment county is not San Diego.

How to Confirm a Donovan Release

The Donovan page should not send readers to the county jail roster as the primary route. CDCR custody and post-release supervision are separate systems. A person may leave Donovan by determinate release, parole decision, transfer, discharge, or release to parole or PRCS. The correct next record depends on the sentence type, BPH status, and supervision agency.

1. Open CDCR CIRIS and search by CDCR number if known. If only a name is available, compare age and commitment county to avoid a false match.
2. Review the record for current location, custody status, admission date, commitment counties, and BPH dates or outcomes if shown.
3. If the person has a parole-eligible sentence, check Board of Parole Hearings information. CDCR and BPH use labels such as EPRD, MEPD, NPED, YPED, EPED, and controlling parole eligible date depending on the sentence category.
4. For assistance with CDCR identity or record questions, use the CDCR Identification Unit assistance number listed in the research, 916-445-6713.
5. If the person was released to parole, verify supervision through CDCR Division of Adult Parole Operations. The research lists local DAPO units in Chula Vista and Escondido, plus Southern Region headquarters.
6. If the person was released to PRCS in San Diego County, verify reporting or supervision through San Diego County Probation and the Community Transition Center when applicable.

The projected release date page explains why CDCR dates are not the same as county jail release dates. California credit rules, BPH decisions, parole eligibility categories, detainers, and sentence recalculations can affect timing. Do not promise a release date without the court sentence, CDCR record, and supervision context.

Richard J. Donovan Records and Contact

For facility-level context, use Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility and CDCR. For statewide identity help, use CDCR's Identification Unit. For post-release supervision, use DAPO or San Diego County Probation depending on whether the person is on state parole or PRCS. The Sheriff's Records & ID Division is relevant only if there was a separate Sheriff's arrest, booking, warrant, or county custody event.

About Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility

Richard J. Donovan is the CDCR state prison located in San Diego County. Its presence in the county can confuse released-inmate searches because many people use "San Diego County inmate" to mean any person held within county borders. For release verification, the custody authority is more important than geography. Donovan is a state prison. San Diego Central Jail, Vista Detention Facility, Las Colinas, and other Sheriff's facilities are local jails. MCC San Diego is federal BOP. Otay Mesa Detention Center is immigration detention. Each system has its own release record and its own limits.

CIRIS Fields to Compare

California's CIRIS search should be used carefully because a name-only search can return people who share names or similar ages. The research says the CA.gov CIRIS page was updated June 25, 2026 and describes the system as providing name, CDCR number, age, current location, commitment counties, admission date, and BPH dates and outcomes for incarcerated persons currently in CDCR custody. A released-inmate page should not invent a field label that was not captured in the research. Use the confirmed labels and explain the limitation.

Parole, PRCS, and San Diego Reporting

A Donovan release may be followed by CDCR parole, PRCS through San Diego County Probation, or another supervision path. The research lists CDCR DAPO Southern Region headquarters at 21015 Pathfinder Road, Suite 200, Diamond Bar, CA 91765, phone (909) 468-2300. It also lists Chula Vista parole units at 765 Third Avenue, Suite 200 and Suite 300, Chula Vista, CA 91910, phone (619) 476-3700, and an Escondido parole unit at 1301 Simpson Way, Escondido, CA 92029, phone (760) 737-7925.

San Diego County's Community Transition Center is relevant for PRCS. The research says the CTC and Lighthouse residential treatment community in Loma Portal help people released from state prison to PRCS, including the 2-day or 48-hour reporting requirement, review of release conditions, behavioral health contacts, and health coverage support. That is a release-verification path for state-prison releases into county supervision, not a jail roster substitute.

When Donovan Is Not the Only Record

Some people have more than one custody event. A person may be released from Donovan and later booked into a San Diego County jail, or a person may leave a county jail for CDCR and later be released from Donovan. Keep those records separate. The Sheriff's Records & ID Division can help with county arrest and booking records, but it does not replace CDCR records. The San Diego Superior Court case may explain the sentence, while CDCR records explain the prison custody and release.

Federal and immigration custody are also separate. BOP says its Inmate Locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present and may show "Released" or "Not in BOP Custody." ICE ODLS covers people currently in ICE custody or CBP custody more than 48 hours. Neither is the primary source for a Donovan state-prison release unless a later federal or immigration transfer occurred.

Donovan Record Limits

CDCR and court information can affect custody, supervision, reporting duties, and personal safety, so it should be handled with precision. Verify with CDCR, BPH, DAPO, Probation, or the court before relying on a record.

Do not treat a CDCR listing as a complete agency file or as proof that every San Diego County agency has the same record. Sealed records, juvenile matters, expungement-related relief, correctional record updates, and supervision changes can affect what is visible. Use official records and avoid commercial mugshot or pay-to-remove sites.