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The Unlocking History series uses extensive research culled from historical records while CDCR Time Capsule republishes historical documents as originally written.
From the days of the first prison ships, CDCR has adapted to incarcerate females sentenced to state prison. Originally housed...
Read More About Photo Timeline: California Institution for Women
To help stabilize San Quentin, Governor John Weller, Lieutenant Governor Joseph Walkup and Secretary of State Ferris Forman in 1858...
Read More About 1858: San Quentin’s first Rules for Convicts issued
Warden Clinton Duffy in 1942 raised eyebrows when he hired the first black correctional officer at San Quentin State Prison....
Read More About Warden Pulley guided two prisons through tumultuous times
San Quentin State Prison is the oldest state correctional facility in California and Richard "Dick" Nelson has made it his...
Read More About Retired AW Nelson keeps prison history alive
Long before California state prisons established Investigative Services Units or the Office of Correctional Safety, staff used the tools and...
Read More About San Quentin undercover probe foils deadly 1891 plot
When inmates were received at state prisons, physical characteristics were noted as well as the inmate's occupation. An 1887 report...
Read More About Amalgamators, button makers and vaqueros: Jobs lost to time
In 1874, the Joint Commission of the Senate and Assembly reported on the condition of the State Prison at San...
Read More About 1874 SQ report: School, library, rehabilitation
There was little difference in clothing worn by custody staff and inmates during the 1850s at San Quentin. Over the...
A late 1870s report by the State Board of Health included a section on the conditions at San Quentin State...
Read More About Medical inspection shows 1878 San Quentin conditions
Chaplains have long served the state to provide spiritual and moral guidance to those in California prisons and jails. They’ve...
Read More About Having faith: A look back at prison chaplains