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The Unlocking History series uses extensive research culled from historical records while CDCR Time Capsule republishes historical documents as originally written.
On October 10, 1890, a group of Lake County miners bent on revenge killed a woman and shot her husband....
Read More About 1890 Lake County Whitecap Murder case sends 4 to San Quentin
For the better part of the 1860s, headlines across the country focused on the manhunt for accused murderer William Wells....
Read More About Charitable man killed, three lawmen slain pursuing William Wells in 1860
After decades of working in law enforcement, Charles Aull returned to state service, first at San Quentin and then at...
Read More About Folsom Warden Aull was longtime lawman, part 2
Charles Aull went from a businessman to a lifelong career in law enforcement. This is a two-part story of one...
Read More About Charles Aull hunts down stage robbers, part 1
In 1911, arts as a rehabilitative tool was introduced for the first time at San Quentin State Prison. One widely...
Read More About Take a closer look at 3 SQ inmates and their stories
Hazel Belford-Glab found herself the center of attention but not in the way she hoped. Her motion picture career had...
Hazel Belford was a young actress trying to make her mark in silent pictures. She won beauty contests, had a...
This is the story James G. Fleenor, a seemingly prosperous Los Angeles businessman who was instead a career criminal.
Glimpses into everyday settler life can be gleaned from many sources, including a dusty 1855 report on the state prison.
Read More About 1855 report notes state’s first prison inmates
Often the only information available on CDCR's pioneering penologists come from obituary notices. Republishing some of those notices is part...