where is pelican bay prison located in california
Pelican Bay State Prison
Pelican Bay State Prison ( PBSP ) is the only supermax state prison in California . The 275 acre prison is located in Del Norte County , California . The prison takes its name from a shallow bay on the Pacific coast , about 2 miles ( 3 km ) to the west . The prison lies in a detached section of Crescent City , several miles north of the main urban area and just south of the Oregon border . PBSP 's primary purpose is to house the `` worst of the worst '' violent male prisoners from the California state prison system ; 40 % of Pelican State 's inmates are serving life sentences and nearly all have histories of violence at other California prisons which resulted in their transfer to Pelican Bay . The sole exception are the institution 's minimum security inmates who work as part of the prison 's outside maintenance and firefighter programs . 
Pelican Bay State Prison ( PBSP ) is the only supermax state prison in California . The 275 acre prison is located in Del Norte County , California . The prison takes its name from a shallow bay on the Pacific coast , about 2 miles ( 3 km ) to the west . The prison lies in a detached section of Crescent City , several miles north of the main urban area and just south of the Oregon border . PBSP 's primary purpose is to house the `` worst of the worst '' violent male prisoners from the California state prison system ; 40 % of Pelican State 's inmates are serving life sentences and nearly all have histories of violence at other California prisons which resulted in their transfer to Pelican Bay . The sole exception are the institution 's minimum security inmates who work as part of the prison 's outside maintenance and firefighter programs .
The 275 acre prison is located in Del Norte County, California, in a detached section of Crescent City, several miles north of the main urban area and just south of the Oregon border.
The 275 acre prison is located in Del Norte County , California . The prison lies in a detached section of Crescent City , several miles north of the main urban area and just south of the Oregon border .