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The Unlocking History series uses extensive research culled from historical records while CDCR Time Capsule republishes historical documents as they were originally written.
When San Quentin received mail from the east in the 1850s, they probably had John Thompson to thank.
Read More About Snowshoe Thompson risked life to deliver prison correspondence
Visiting has been an important part of rehabilitation, allowing offenders to continue family connections while incarcerated. The experience for friends...
Read More About Prison visiting has long played rehabilitative role
Today’s CDCR transportation units rely on buses and cars traveling over paved roadways, but this wasn’t always the case. When...
Read More About Stagecoach driver Charley Parkhurst blazed gender‑nonconforming trails
Artie "Art" Baker, already three years into a 10-year sentence at San Quentin, had a desperate request for the prison...
Read More About Gender‑questioning forger Artie Baker made headlines in 1916
After the Civil War, a grieving nation established Decoration Day to honor the dead, eventually becoming known as Memorial Day....
Read More About Prisons honored fallen soldiers in memorial ceremonies
In 1910, a former inmate wrote words being echoed today regarding the purpose of the state prison system: "The business...
Read More About LA’s Griffith Park, Observatory bear name of early 1900s San Quentin inmate
In 1854, rumors surrounding the new State Prison, along with multiple escapes, sparked the governor to request specific details on...
Read More About 1854: Escapes led governor to ask for prison statistics
Rehabilitation has proven a collaborative effort between custody and support staff. The following are just some examples of such cooperation...
A 1928 report on the education, library, religious activities and women's department highlights the successes of early efforts to rehabilitate...
A Gold Rush-era doctor became the first prison physician at San Quentin when offenders were still kept on ships. It...
Read More About Meet Alfred Taliaferro, first doctor at San Quentin