Original set of six California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) inmate identification cards dating from the 1980s through the 2000s. Issued to inmates upon their reception into the California prison system, the cards served as official institutional identification and accompanied inmates throughout their imprisonment.
Several of the documented individuals also appear within the research archive used for our book ONCE UPON A HOOD, where they are represented through original analog photographs, field documentation, and other primary-source material. Displayed alongside the California gang photography archive, these inmate identification cards provide an institutional counterpart to the personal photographs, illustrating how documented street gang members transitioned into the California prison system while preserving an authentic record of their incarceration.
