Evidence in this article reveals that California is probably not alone in the racial segregation of inmates, however, the coming years will witness prison systems continuing to deal with the desegregation of prison inmates. A tell-tale indication of the remaining vestiges of racial segregation in prison settings today comes from the U.S. Supreme Court case of Johnson v. California (2005). It represents the culmination of nearly 40 years of the courts dealing with prisoner racial segregation. In this case, the Court held that prisons must operate by the same rules as the wider society when it comes to the use of race; prison managers cannot use race to segregate inmates except under extraordinary circumstances to ensure the safety and security of inmates, staff, and institutions. It is against the backdrop of the rich history of prisoner segregation in the United States, and the recent case of Johnson v. California, that this article examines 40 years of progress toward racial desegregation in prisons and, in particular, the desegregation of prison cells. Prisons were one of the last institutions to be desegregated in American society. In some States, however, race is being used less and less as a factor affecting institutional operations. Notes, references