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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.

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

1918 pandemic tests prison medical staff

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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Robert Presley served in the military during WWII, was undersheriff at Riverside County, was a state senator, and secretary of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency.

Former YACA Secretary Robert Presley passes at 93

Former Youth and Adult Correctional Agency (YACA) Secretary Robert Presley passed away Sept. 22, 2018, at age 93. He was...

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Black and white list of names of prison inmates, including Richard Barter, also known as Rattlesnake Dick.

Rattlesnake Dick highlighted need for classification

The legend of Gold Rush era bandit Rattlesnake Dick, aka Richard Barter, is full of speculation and guesswork. If he...

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Actors in French Revolution costumes stand with the San Quentin Warden Hoyle.

1913: Sarah Bernhardt brings art to San Quentin

Famous artists, musicians and actors bringing their craft into state prisons can be traced back to the early 1900s. Today...

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Photos of stage, crowd of men in striped prison outfits and a newspaper clipping of the play in San Quentin.

1911 play ushers in ‘new era’ of rehabilitation

Art as rehabilitation dates to 1911, when the warden partnered with public organizations and local media to offer a play...

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Theodore Durrant booking photos and the church in San Francisco.

1897 film of convicted killer Durrant shapes prison policy

When Theodore Durrant was sentenced to death for murdering two women, a pioneering filmmaker requested permission to film inside the...

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Ship called Mariposa from late 1800s.

Ships served California prison in early years

Early in CDCR's history, ships played a vital role in rehabilitation and transportation. Before automobiles or railroad expansion, let alone...

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