How does an inmate sign up for the RSVP program in prison?

The Resolve to Stop the Violence Project, known as RSVP, is a rehabilitation program that operates within certain California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities. It is a highly regarded intensive program focused on transforming violent behavior through a combination of restorative justice practices, cognitive behavioral work, and community building among participants.

The program is facility specific, meaning it is not available everywhere and an inmate has to be housed at or transferred to a facility that runs RSVP to participate. San Quentin has historically been one of the primary homes of the program though availability across the system has evolved over time.

The process for getting into RSVP starts inside the facility rather than from the outside. Your son does not need an outside address to pursue this. The right move is for him to submit a written request directly to his case manager or classification officer expressing his interest in the RSVP program and asking what steps are required to be considered for participation. Case managers are the gatekeepers for program placement and that conversation needs to happen through them.

If he is not currently housed at a facility that offers RSVP he can request a transfer consideration to a facility where the program is active. That request also goes through the case manager and is not guaranteed but documenting genuine interest in programming is a factor that can support a transfer request over time.

From your end, sending him information you find through a quick search of the CDCR website about RSVP eligibility requirements and participating facilities gives him something concrete to reference when he talks to his case manager. Knowledge going into that conversation helps him advocate for himself more effectively.