Inside CDCR News Blog
FEATURED STORIES
K‑9 searches find contraband at Gabilan, Wasco
Two recent searches led by the CDCR Central Region K-9 Unit turned up contraband at Gabilan Conservation Camp and Wasco…
VIDEOS
Watch: CPOST 2025 Impact Award ceremony
In mid-December, CDCR’s Commission on Correctional Peace Officer Standards and Training (CPOST) honored employees at the 2025 Impact Award ceremony.…
Ventura Training Center visits CMC’s Camp Cuesta
Participants from the Ventura Training Center (VTC) hit the road to talk with incarcerated fire crews about the center’s resources.…
Educational center opens at Malibu Conservation Camp
It was a community celebration as a new children’s educational center recently opened at Malibu Conservation Camp. CDCR, in partnership…
BEYOND THE BADGE
CDCR, CCHCS staff March for the Dream
CDCR and CCHCS staff joined thousands for the 44th annual MLK365 March for the Dream at Sacramento City College on…
ASP honors staff with 25 years of service
Avenal State Prison (ASP) recently honored 18 dedicated staff who reached the extraordinary milestone of 25-plus years of CDCR service.…
CCI bids farewell to retiring Warden Brian Cates
California Correctional Institution (CCI) at Tehachapi said farewell to Warden Brian Cates during a special gathering held Dec. 19, 2025.…
INSIDE CDCR VIDEOS
Watch: CPOST 2025 Impact Award ceremony
In mid-December, CDCR’s Commission on Correctional Peace Officer Standards and Training (CPOST) honored employees at the 2025 Impact Award ceremony.…
Remembering the LA fires: One year later
One year ago, a CDCR firefighting staff strike team was assembled to assist with the Palisades fire near Los Angeles…
New year, new name: CALPIA becomes CALCTRA
The new year rang in a new name for the California Prison Industry Authority or CALPIA. The organization officially changed…
REHABILITATION
Ventura Training Center visits CMC’s Camp Cuesta
Participants from the Ventura Training Center (VTC) hit the road to talk with incarcerated fire crews about the center’s resources.…
Educational center opens at Malibu Conservation Camp
It was a community celebration as a new children’s educational center recently opened at Malibu Conservation Camp. CDCR, in partnership…
San Quentin celebrates 27 construction mentorship graduates
CDCR’s Facility Planning, Construction, and Management (FPCM), Correctional Construction Mentorship (CCM) Program, recognized 27 graduates. In cooperation with San Quentin…
FIREFIGHTERS & CAMPS
Ventura Training Center visits CMC’s Camp Cuesta
Participants from the Ventura Training Center (VTC) hit the road to talk with incarcerated fire crews about the center’s resources.…
Educational center opens at Malibu Conservation Camp
It was a community celebration as a new children’s educational center recently opened at Malibu Conservation Camp. CDCR, in partnership…
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
CDCR, CCHCS staff March for the Dream
CDCR and CCHCS staff joined thousands for the 44th annual MLK365 March for the Dream at Sacramento City College on…
Incarcerated at PVSP donate hygiene items
The incarcerated population at Pleasant Valley State Prison (PVSP) in Coalinga held a multi-month campaign to gather hygiene items for…
Mule Creek State Prison donates $23k to charities
Mule Creek State Prison food sales generated $23,157, resulting in donations to several charities. The donations demonstrate the prison’s strong…
CALCTRA
New year, new name: CALPIA becomes CALCTRA
The new year rang in a new name for the California Prison Industry Authority or CALPIA. The organization officially changed…
CALPIA General Manager Bill Davidson retires
The California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) said goodbye to General Manager Bill Davidson on Dec. 30, 2025. Davidson retired after…
CALPIA recognizes 90 graduates at CMC
Ninety incarcerated individuals received job certifications and/or apprenticeships from the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) at California Men’s Colony (CMC).…
DOGS IN CDCR
K‑9 searches find contraband at Gabilan, Wasco
Two recent searches led by the CDCR Central Region K-9 Unit turned up contraband at Gabilan Conservation Camp and Wasco…
Golden retriever therapy dogs visit CSP‑Solano
California State Prison (CSP) Solano staff were seeing gold last week thanks to golden retriever therapy dogs. The dogs, part…
Getting up close with new ISP dog program
The Ironwood State Prison (ISP) Dog Training Academy is a newly developed program working in collaboration with Mal’s House Rescue.…
SPORTS
Watch: Twinning Project, Angel City FC at CIW
CDCR, the Twinning Project and Angel City Football Club (FC) teamed up to launch two new cohorts of a leadership…
CIM hosts soccer tournament
The California Institution for Men’s (CIM) A-Yard, B-Yard, and C-Yard populations gathered for a soccer tournament. Speakers were set up…
Watch: SATF goes Between the Lines
Volunteers from Between the Lines recently brought their rehabilitative program to the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) and State Prison…
WEEK IN REVIEW
Week in Review: January 30, 2026
In this January 30 Week in Review, we spotlight case records analyst Lila Gonzalez, a GRIP graduation at ASP, and…
Week in Review: January 23, 2026
In this January 23 Week in Review, we spotlight CDCR staff attending March for a Dream, sheriff’s office staff touring…
CDCR HISTORY
SQ Captain Rivera Smith served nearly 4 decades
Rivera Smith was the longest serving staff member at San Quentin (SQ) when he passed away in 1950, serving nearly…
Echoes from the Past: Restoring history’s missing pages
While researching stories for the Unlocking History series, we often find damaged documents, missing photos, or incomplete information. One example…
Family seeks information on 1903 counterfeiter
A recent question came across the Inside CDCR desk regarding a counterfeiter who was incarcerated at San Quentin in 1903.…
OBITUARIES
Richard ‘Rich’ Schuster, retired counselor
Richard “Rich” Schuster, a retired correctional counselor, passed away Jan. 27, 2026. He worked for CDCR for more than three…
Brian Snider, retired correctional counselor II
Brian Snider, a retired correctional counselor II supervisor, passed away Jan. 23, 2026. He worked for the department for 23…
Carlos Xavier, retired vocational teacher
Carlos Xavier, a retired vocational auto mechanics teacher, passed away Jan. 24, 2026. He worked for the department for 28…
ABOVE THE CALL
Inside CDCR 2025: A look back at the top stories
From tales of heroism and community involvement to rehabilitation and the people behind those efforts, Inside CDCR looks back at…
CDCR transportation officers assist crash victims
While returning to California Men’s Colony from a southern California transport, two CDCR transportation officers recently assisted victims in a…
CEMETERY TALES
Cemetery Tales: Harry Stewart, Fresno embezzler
In our final Cemetery Tales of the season, we look more closely at Harry Stewart, early 1900s embezzler, thief, and…
Cemetery Tales: Meet JE McKim, thieving drifter
In our third installment of this month’s Cemetery Tales, we look at a drifter with a long criminal record dating…
Cemetery Tales: Raymond Blade and Henry Hunt
The second installment of this month’s Cemetery Tales looks at two incarcerated people at different stages in their lives when…
SAFETY & SECURITY UPDATES
Salinas Valley State Prison investigating attack on 4 officers
Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) is investigating an attack on four correctional officers that occurred Friday afternoon. On Jan. 23,…
California State Prison, Sacramento investigating riot
Approximately 20 incarcerated persons were involved in a riot at California State Prison, Sacramento on Monday, Nov. 10. Officers immediately…
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