North Kern State Prison (
NKSP) is a medium-security prison located in Delano, Kern County, California. Opened in April 1993, this state prison has a design capacity of 2,694 incarcerated people. North Kern serves as a reception center for incoming inmates. Inmates usually serve two to three months at North Kern while staff processes their criminal and health records and assesses their physiological and social needs before assigning them to another prison. While at North Kern, inmates have opportunities to engage in educational programs. With North Kern State Prison and Kern Valley State Prison, which is located one mile away and houses approximately 3,500 inmates, Kern County has one of the largest prison populations of any county in America.