10.4: Specialized Personnel
California Prison Industry Authority (CPIA) has opportunities at various locations statewide to employ many individuals with experience and expertise in specialty trades.
CPIA has more than 150 different job classifications, ranging from marketing professionals, a full cost accounting department, Human Resources, IT support, Web and graphics designers, legal services, contracts and procurement analysts, and 84 operational specific enterprises.
Figure 2. CPIA workers Replacing offensive grave markers at Mormon Island Relocation Cemetery . Image is in the Public Domain: (U.S. Army Photo/Chris Gray-Garcia)
Pin It! CPIA in Action
In the above image Folsom Prison inmates are working under the California Prison Industry Authority place new grave markers at Mormon Island Relocation Cemetery in El Dorado Hills, Calif., Oct. 19, 2011, replacing original markers that contained an offensive racial epithet. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District moved the 36 graves from the original Negro Hill Cemetery to the relocation cemetery during the construction of Folsom Dam in 1954, and created the offensive markers. El Dorado County, which manages the cemetery, and the California Prison Industry Authority collaborated on the project to replace the markers. Visit CALPIA’s official website to discover their mission.
CALPIA hires according to civil service system rules that require that vacancies be filled using eligibility lists created as a result of civil service examinations. All current and non-state employees must compete in an examination and attain list eligibility in order to be considered for vacant positions.
Distribution and Delivery
This enterprise includes the receipt, storage, issuing and shipping of finished products, food supplies, raw materials, component parts, etc. in a CALPIA Warehouse. Employment opportunities include the following jobs:
- Heavy Equipment Mechanic (Correctional Facility)
- Heavy Truck Driver (Correctional Facility)
- Industrial Warehouse and Distribution Manager, Prison Industries
- Industrial Warehouse and Distribution Specialist, Prison Industries
- Industrial Warehouse and Distribution Supervisor, Prison Industries
- Skilled Laborer
- Warehouse Worker (Correctional Facility)
Construction Services
This enterprise is responsible for direct supervision of a wide variety of day labor/offender or ward labor construction projects at assigned State correctional facilities. Employment opportunities include the following jobs:
- Construction Supervisor I (Correctional Facility)
- Construction Supervisor II (Correctional Facility)
- Construction Supervisor III (Correctional Facility)
Facilities Maintenance
This is an all-inclusive custodial service designed to meet California Correctional Healthcare Service (CCHCS) needs statewide. The program will train offenders with the necessary knowledge and skill level needed to meet the highest possible standards for healthcare environmental standards. Employment opportunities include the following jobs:
- Custodian (Correctional Facility)
- Lead Custodian (Correctional Facility)
- Custodian Supervisor II (Correctional Facility)
- Custodian Supervisor III (Correctional Facility)
Maintenance and Repair
This enterprise involves the safe and proper preventive maintenance and repair of all industrial systems, equipment and facilities to ensure the successful, on-going operation of each industry. The maintenance and repair enterprise include the areas of welding, hydraulics, pneumatics, plumbing, boiler maintenance, electrical, electrical trouble shooting, and others. Employment opportunities include the following jobs:
- Equipment maintenance Supervisor
- Heavy Equipment Mechanic
- Industrial Supervisor, Prison Industries (Maintenance & Repair)
- Prison Industries Superintendent I (Maintenance & Repair)
- Prison Industries Superintendent II (Maintenance & Repair)
- Skilled Laborer
Fabric Products
This enterprise involves garment manufacturing on a large variety of sewn products, such as: coveralls, institutional clothing, fire protection gear, vests and more.
Knitting Mill
This enterprise involves the manufacturing and finishing of circular and tubular knitted materials in such items as T-shirts, hosiery, and underwear.
General Fabrication
This enterprise manufactures various lines of freestanding conventional furniture and modular system furniture (MSF), which is comprised of several hundred components that can be combined to create various office space configurations.
Metal Fabrication/Products
This enterprise involves the manufacturing of a variety of metal products, including but not limited to, license plates, signs, beds, chairs, tables, lockers, file cabinets, desks, shelves, and stools.
Mattress & Bedding
This enterprise involves the manufacturing of mattresses, pillows, and other bedding.
Shoe Manufacturing
This enterprise involves the shoe manufacturing process, specializing in cutting, stitching, lasting, injection molding, finishing and packing.
Tool & Die
This enterprise involves the handling of silkscreen materials and equipment such as Ink Jet Printer, Thermal Printer, Semi-Automatic Screen Printing, printing carousel, screen drying equipment, and exposing unit.
Upholstery
This enterprise involves the manufacturing of upholstery products, such as chairs and lounges
Wood Products
This enterprise involves the manufacturing of a large variety of wood furniture for dormitories, libraries, offices, recreational areas, and other fine wood specialty products.
Employment opportunities include the following jobs:
- Industrial Supervisor, Prison Industries
- Prison Industries Superintendent I
- Prison Industries Superintendent II
Enterprises:
Bindery
This enterprise manufactures heat-sealed binders, turned edge binders, polyethylene binders, mesh signs and vests using heat-sealed lettering, press-board files, diploma covers, and various other silkscreen printed specialty items.
Dental Laboratory
This enterprise provides dental services to the California Department of Corrections. The laboratory maintains a complete dental prosthesis selection ranging from custom trays, bite blocks, try-ins, night guards, partial and full dentures, and cast metal framework.
Detergent Plant
This enterprise involves working in quality control factory in a lead capacity role for a detergent/ cleaning product manufacturing organization, which produces a wide range of detergent products including California Green cleaning products.
Digital Services
This enterprise involves the production of digital mapping data used in Geographical Information Systems (GIS); Closed-Captioning services; tactile printing for the visually impaired; transcription services and more
Laundry
This enterprise involves providing laundry services for State, local governmental entities, public agencies.
Optical Products
This high-volume enterprise involves the manufacturing and assembly of plastic and poly-carbonate lenses used in safety and ophthalmic eye wear.
Printing
This enterprise involves the printing of decals, stickers, tags, forms, envelopes, business cards and other specialty printing items using digital copy, letterpress, offset web and sheet fed printing equipment.
Employment opportunities include the following jobs:
- Industrial Supervisor, Prison Industries
- Prison Industries Superintendent I
- Prison Industries Superintendent II
Enterprises:
Agriculture/Crops Farm
This enterprise involves the farming, producing, and harvesting of a large variety of crops, including corn, alfalfa, oats, sudan, small grains, and almonds, to be used for livestock or human consumption at State institutions or public sale.
Bakery
This enterprise involves the mass production of white and wheat breads.
Coffee Roasting & Grinding
This enterprise involves roasting and grinding green coffee beans for sale to State and local agencies.
Dairy
This enterprise involves multiple aspects of the dairy industry including dairy husbandry practices such as feeding, milking, medicating, breeding, and the daily operations of a dairy. In addition, it involves the processing of the milk including standardizing, pasteurizing, packaging and preparing shipments of fluid milk for delivery.
Egg Production
This enterprise involves the brooding/growing of chicks and managing mature laying hens for the purpose of shell egg production; the shell egg production is composed of grading, candling, shipping, and storage of shell eggs; this enterprise also receives and ships fresh and frozen egg products.
Food & Beverage Packaging
This enterprise, depending on the factory, involves the packaging of bread, cookies, peanut butter, and jelly; and or beverage products in gable top cartons for individual servings. It also involves coordinating bulk deliveries of various types of food and beverage products to customers.
Meat Cutting/Processing
This enterprise involves the daily operational functions of a meat processing plant involving the processing of primal cuts and box beef, which includes cutting, boning, the making of various sausage products, and packing and shipping; and inspects product for compliance with quality control under United States Department of Agriculture procedures.
Poultry Processing
This position involves the processing of poultry products.
Sausage Making/Cured Meats
This enterprise involves the mixes/blends of ground meats and condiments to make various cooked/smoked sausage products
Employment opportunities include the following jobs:
- Industrial Supervisor, Prison Industries
- Prison Industries Superintendent I
- Prison Industries Superintendent II
Pin It! CALPIA Employment Opportunities
Many different types of employment opportunities are available. For information on how to apply for correctional jobs within the state federal correctional systems click on the following links.