SB 311 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Correctional facilities: women's prisons.

Summary

Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to institute certain practices to prevent sexual violence and promote inmate and ward safety in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, including reviewing and providing handbooks regarding sexual abuse in detention to inmates and wards. Existing law establishes 2 institutions for the punishment, treatment, supervision, custody, and care of women convicted of felonies, known as the California Institution for Women and the Central California Women's Facility. This bill would require the department to establish a secure facility at each women's prison to house transgender women, in order to protect the security needs of biological women, as specified. The bill would also prohibit certain inmates convicted of specified sexual offenses from being housed at a women's prison.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 10, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

02/10/25 - Introduced → 03/26/25 - Amended Senate · 4 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MODERATE

The amendment transforms SB 311 from a purely declaratory bill (stating legislative intent to address sexual violence in women's prisons) into an operative bill that adds new Section 3327 to the Penal Code. It now requires CDCR to build secure housing units for transgender women at each women's prison and bars sex offenders registered under Section 290 from being housed in women's facilities, with an exception for biological women at birth.

Scope change

Expanded from a symbolic intent statement to an enforceable statutory requirement imposing specific housing obligations on CDCR and creating a new eligibility bar for sex offenders in women's prisons.

REQUIREMENT

CDCR is now required to establish a secure facility at each women's prison specifically to house transgender women, stated as protecting the security needs of biological women at birth in sleeping and other intimate areas.

ELIGIBILITY

Inmates convicted of offenses requiring registration under Penal Code Section 290 (sex offender registration) are now barred from housing at a women's prison, except for biological women at birth.

SCOPE

The bill changed from a non-operative statement of legislative intent to an operative statute adding Section 3327 to the Penal Code with binding requirements on CDCR.

DEFINITION

New language distinguishes between 'transgender women' and 'biological women at birth' as separate populations with different housing arrangements.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 29, 2025

Committee

April 29 set for first hearing. Failed passage in committee. (Ayes 1. Noes 4. Page 944.) Reconsideration granted.

upper

Apr 2, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

upper

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

upper

Feb 19, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on RLS.

upper

Feb 10, 2025

Introduced

Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor