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.
The first Cemetery Tales story for 2025 looks at the lives of career criminal John Beebe and Joseph “Jose” Balado,...
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After California became a state in September 1850, the Legislature passed a law establishing all county jails would serve as...
A letter penned by a man serving time at San Quentin (SQ) in 1915 describes how the institution observed Fourth...
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Thanks to early prison road construction camps, incarcerated crews connected communities with parks across the state. Much like CALFIRE/CDCR conservation...
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Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp (YCC) is celebrating 80 years of rehabilitation. Founded in 1945, the camp has continued serving...
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...
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....
In this month’s fifth installment of Cemetery Tales, we examine the stories of an estranged husband and a robber who...
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