Tucked away in a dusty archival box, Inside CDCR came across multiple photographs of a doll dressed as a correctional officer. Eventually, we also found an accompanying press release issued by California Correctional Center in Susanville.
In August 1987, a correctional officer doll standing just 22-inches tall won the first-place blue ribbon at the Lassen County Fair in Susanville.
Named Alfonso, the doll was crafted by Mary Long, wife of Officer Al Long, who worked at the Susanville prison.
She sewed the diminutive uniform, even crafting the belt from a leather strap she dyed black and stamped with a basket-weave pattern. Mary Long also hand-embroidered the blue eyes and gave the doll red hair.
“The total time involved was about 40 hours,” she said.
Incarcerated photographers made prints of the doll for Shel Merchant, the community resources manager at the time.
Learn more about California prison history.
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