A decade ago, a new name affirmed mission of CDCR

Inside CDCR — One solid decade ago, the state prison system was completely overhauled, creating today’s California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

While the department was massively overhauled 10 years ago, improvements continue to be made, with rehabilitation the focus.

“The addition of the word ‘rehabilitation’ to our department’s name was significant. It is not enough to incarcerate; one of our core public safety missions is to give inmates opportunities to live productive, law-abiding lives through programs that better prepare them for their return to our communities. CDCR’s heavy investments in rehabilitation are paying off,” said CDCR Secretary Jeff Beard. “We now have a network of reentry hubs, and we are rebuilding our training, education and substance abuse programs to make the ‘R’ in CDCR a reality.”

In 2005, under the Governor’s direction, the department was reorganized and the word “rehabilitation” was added to the name. Some of the main goals included streamlining and “flattening” the department and eliminating duplication and inefficiencies.

“This effort consolidated the operations of the various departments and boards within the former Youth and Adult Correctional Agency (YACA) into the new CDCR,” according to “Successes and Challenges: The CDCR Story,” a department report published in May 2007. continue reading...