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The Unlocking History series uses extensive research culled from historical records while CDCR Time Capsule republishes historical documents as originally written.
California Medical Facility was given an 8mm film that appears to have been shot in the mid- to late-1970s or...
Read More About 1970s: Officer training film emphasizes empathy
Crime victim and survivor services weren't always readily available but today there are many way to serve the community.
Read More About Timeline: Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services
In 1961, California Medical Facility (CMF) launched an arts program almost by accident when the superintendent at the time wanted...
Read More About Artists made mark at California Medical Facility
Early in the state’s history, incarcerated women were supervised by prison matrons but that wasn’t always the case. This is...
In 1951, a young man named Alfredo Santos was busted for dealing heroin, earning him a stint at San Quentin...
Read More About San Quentin historic murals launched artist’s career
Folsom Correctional Officer Lyle Herman, Jr., died June 29, 1988, after suffering head injuries when he intervened during a robbery.
Read More About 1988: Officer Lyle Herman slain trying to stop robbery
A popular 1958 television game show featured San Quentin Warden Fred Dickson as one of the contestants. In “To Tell...
Read More About 1958: San Quentin warden competes on game show
Superintendent Roland Wood forged a revolutionary program in 1962 at California Rehabilitation Center (CRC), treating drug addicts as patients rather...
Read More About First CRC superintendent took non‑punitive approach
Archibald Yell, the new warden at Folsom State Prison, sought to stop contraband, improve job prospects for the incarcerated population,...
"Twenty years ago, the only place you would see a female in a male prison was in an office behind...
Read More About 1989: Director declares women a major force in corrections