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Unlocking History

Using extensive research culled from historical records, Inside CDCR explores the rich history of the people, places and programs that helped shape the modern state correctional system.

A farm in the foreground and prison in the background.

Warden plants seeds of rehabilitation at Folsom prison farm

In the 1880s, John Joseph Smith worked on his father’s farm, but seeing a low return on investment, he decided...

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Three men and a woman all wear hats and stand in front of a prison building.

Silent screen stars gave voice to rehabilitation

From Broadway actresses to silent screen stars, early performers tried to raise awareness about efforts to turn incarcerated people into...

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Sepia-toned photo of a man in a suit. An illustration of him in prison garb accompanies the photo.

Incarcerated Civil War veteran helps others earn parole

Joseph Wess Moore was a 15-year-old farm boy who joined the Union Army to fight in the Civil War. Decades...

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Three men in hats visit with each other.

Early San Quentin doctor pushes prison medicine into 20th century

In 1913, Woodrow Wilson became the 28th President of the United States and the Ford Motor Company instituted the world’s...

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Preston School band students wear uniforms and stand on steps.

Take a closer look at Preston School’s Mother Lode Band

Arts have long played a major role in rehabilitation efforts of California's incarcerated population and music is no exception. A...

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Magician Harry Houdini stands on a makeshift stage in San Quentin prison. He's flanked by two other men.

Incarcerated person’s letter draws Houdini to San Quentin in 1915

An anonymous letter from a San Quentin inmate to a newspaper reporter led to the prison performances of a band...

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Seven men in lab coats pose for a photo in a prison doctor's office.

1918 flu pandemic puts prison medical staff to test

A deadly influenza pandemic swept across the globe a century ago, claiming more lives than all those lost in World...

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Skirt-wearing female California prison officer shows new uniforms.

First female correctional officers faced resistance

Today's CDCR has numerous women working in all areas including wardens, correctional officers, parole agents and other leadership roles. While...

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Sammy Davis Jr stands before inmates

Artists have long helped rehabilitate incarcerated

Since Sarah Bernhardt and Harry Houdini performed in prison in the early 1900s, artists have been helping rehabilitate the incarcerated...

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Grainy photo of two-story building a small brick-and-stone jail.

Navy chaplain Walter Colton shaped early prison system

The seeds of rehabilitation were planted early thanks to Walter Colton, a Navy chaplain appointed Monterey Alcalde in 1846.

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