April 19, 2024 - BAKERSFIELD – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials are seeking a person who walked away from the Male Community Reentry Program (MCRP) facility in Kern County on April 18, 2024.

At about 1 p.m., officials were alerted that incarcerated person Jerry A. Bishop had removed his GPS device. An emergency count of the MCRP was conducted immediately, confirming Bishop was missing. CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety and local law enforcement agencies have been notified and are assisting in the search.

Bishop, 31, is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 186 pounds. He has blue eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a gray pullover sweater and blue jeans.

Bishop was received from Kern County on Oct. 2, 2023. He is serving a three-year sentence for assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. He has been housed at MCRP Kern County since Jan. 31, 2024.

Anyone who sees Bishop or has knowledge of his whereabouts should contact law enforcement or call 9-1-1.

The MCRP allows eligible offenders committed to state prison to serve the end of their sentences in the re-entry center and provides them the programs and tools necessary to transition from custody to the community. It is a voluntary program for male offenders who have two years of less left to serve. The program links offenders to a range of community-based rehabilitative services that assist with substance use disorders, mental health care, medical care, employment, education, housing, family reunification and social support.

Since 1977, 99 percent of all people who have left an adult institution, camp, or community-based program without permission have been apprehended.

Source: CDCR