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CDCR History

CDCR California prison history explores the stories of the people, places and programs that shaped the current state penal system. Within the CDCR History category, there are two sub-categories. The Unlocking History series uses extensive research culled from historical records while CDCR Time Capsule republishes historical documents as originally written.

Newspaper headline and two photos of acrobat Arva Case, taken 17 years apart, show her descent into addiction.

Early 1900s acrobat walked addiction tightrope

Acrobat Arva Case had her whole life ahead of her when cancer, followed by an addiction to pain medication, caused...

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A castle like building surrounded by overgrown trees.

1920s rehabilitation included farm for women

More than a decade before the California Institution for Women received its first residents, the state created the first reformatory...

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Mugshots of San Quentin inmate Frederick Charles Beck.

Behind the photo: Frederick Beck spirals into 1891 prison stint

An old saying claims a person's eyes are the windows to the soul. Archival photos of those convicted of crimes...

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Woman sitting at desk with California seal in the background.

‘Teena’ Farmon began with state in 1968

Spanning a correctional career of more than three decades, retired Warden Celestine 'Teena' Farmon passed away July 18, 2021.

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Dirt road lined with small cabins. Inset over the top is a woman in a hat with numbers at the bottom.

Parole officer helps incarcerated mom earn pardon

The 1913 Ruby Bartol case was scrutinized by the governor, attorney general, and warden. Years later, her parole officer helped...

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A correctional officer sits in a pickup truck while speaking into a CB radio.

Photo Timeline: In 2021, CIM marks 80 years

The fourth facility in the California state prison system opened 80 years ago. The institution was geared toward people who...

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Trees, a field, and Preston School of Industry Administration Building as seen from the road.

Preston regularly marked patriotic holidays

The Preston School of Industry in Ione regularly observed patriotic holidays with decorations and activities. Opened in 1894, the facility...

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Three people open a time capsule at a ceremony marking 75 years.

Correctional Training Facility marks 75 years of service

Correctional Training Facility (CTF) recognized their 75th year of operations with a ceremony in the memorial garden of institution grounds...

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Early female prison staff supervised women at San Quentin, like in this early courtyard image.

Support to custody: Early female prison staff

The first female correctional officers were hired to work in California's male prisons in the early 1970s. But, women have...

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A female correctional sergeant and female cadets.

1987: Department publication highlights need for females in corrections

Revisit this 1987 story originally published in Correction News. -- When Daniel J. McCarthy first became a correctional officer in...

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