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The Unlocking History series uses extensive research culled from historical records while CDCR Time Capsule republishes historical documents as originally written.
Thanks to early prison road construction camps, incarcerated crews connected communities with parks across the state. Much like CALFIRE/CDCR conservation...
Read More About Prison camps connected communities with parks
Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp (YCC) is celebrating 80 years of rehabilitation. Founded in 1945, the camp has continued serving...
Inside CDCR takes a closer look at a booklet titled “State of California Forestry Honor Camp Program,” produced for the...
California Medical Facility (CMF) in Vacaville held a celebration to honor the institution’s 70 years of public safety. The CMF...
Women serving sentences in state prison began with Agnes Read who was sent to the prison ship, the Waban, in...
During a 1965 conference of Federated Women’s Clubs, the superintendent of the California Institution for Women discussed the history of...
Read More About 1965: History of women in California prisons
Only three years after California introduced the wild turkey to the state, a swindler found himself behind bars. (Editor’s note:...
Delinia Lewis, an associate warden at California Institution for Women, sent the following note in honor of Black History Month....
After two years of interviews and data collection regarding vocational training and reentry, the department issued the findings of their...
Read More About 1971: Vocational training study looks at reentry
In this month’s fifth installment of Cemetery Tales, we examine the stories of an estranged husband and a robber who...
Read More About Cemetery Tales: Estranged husband and a robber