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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.

Paso Robles facility time capsule contents show newspapers, photos and booklets.

1954 time capsule opened at Paso Robles Youth Correctional Facility

The first youths arrived at Paso de Robles Youth Correctional Facility on Sept. 30, 1947, a former 200-acre Army airfield...

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Newspaper headline and two photos of acrobat Arva Case, taken 17 years apart, show her descent into addiction.

Early 1900s acrobat walked tightrope of addiction

Acrobat Arva Case had her whole life ahead when a cancer diagnosis, followed by an addiction to pain medication, caused...

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A castle like building surrounded by overgrown trees.

1920s farm was early gender‑responsive rehabilitation

More than a decade before the California Institution for Women received its first residents, the state created the first reformatory...

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Mugshots of San Quentin inmate Frederick Charles Beck.

Behind the photo: Frederick Beck spirals into 1891 prison stint

An old saying claims a person's eyes are the windows to the soul. Archival photos of those convicted of crimes...

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Woman sitting at desk with California seal in the background.

‘Teena’ Farmon began with state in 1968

Spanning a correctional career of more than three decades, retired Warden Celestine 'Teena' Farmon passed away July 18, 2021.

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Dirt road lined with small cabins. Inset over the top is a woman in a hat with numbers at the bottom.

1913 case of incarcerated mom ends in pardon thanks to parole officer

The 1913 Ruby Bartol case was scrutinized by the governor, attorney general, and warden. Years later, her parole officer helped...

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A correctional officer sits in a pickup truck while speaking into a CB radio.

Photo Timeline: 80 years of service for California Institution for Men

The fourth facility in the California state prison system opened 80 years ago. The institution was geared toward people who...

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Preston castle has banners and the flag waving for the Fourth of July.

Preston School of Industry regularly marked patriotic holidays

California began seriously focusing on incarcerated youth when officials laid out plans in 1890 to construct a job-training school. The...

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Three people open a time capsule at a ceremony marking 75 years.

Correctional Training Facility marks 75 years of service

Correctional Training Facility (CTF) recognized their 75th year of operations with a ceremony in the memorial garden of institution grounds...

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Early female prison staff supervised women at San Quentin, like in this early courtyard image.

Support to custody: Early female prison staff

The first female correctional officers were hired to work in California's male prisons in the early 1970s. But, women have...

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