Inventory of the Records of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency

Processed by Kim Mitchell
California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
© 2013
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Inventory of the Records of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency

Collection number: R232

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California
Processed by:
Kim Mitchell
Date Completed:
March 2013
Encoded by:
Cori Schmidtbauer
© 2013 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Youth and Adult Correctional Agency Records
Dates: 1979-1998
Collection number: R232
Creator: Youth and Adult Correctional Agency, California State Agency
Collection Size: 24 cubic feet
Repository: California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The records of the California Youth and Adult Correctional Agency (YACA) consist of twenty-four cubic feet of textual records reflecting the Agency's administration of the Department of Corrections, Youth Authority, Board of Prison Terms, Youthful Offender Parole Board, Institutional Review Board, Board of Corrections, Correctional Industries Commission, and the Narcotic Addict Evaluation Authority. The records date from 1979-1998.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Administrative Information

Access

While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Youth and Adult Correctional Agency Records, R232.[series number], [box and folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition and Custodial History

The State Archives received these records in a series of transfers according to state law.

Agency History

The Youth and Adult Correctional Agency (YACA) was created in 1979 as a result of Chapter 1252 (Statutes of 1977) and the Governor's Reorganization Plan #3 of 1979 (Statutes of 1980) for the purpose of providing communication, coordination, budget and policy direction for the Department of Corrections, Department of the Youth Authority, Board of Prison Terms, Youthful Offender Parole Board, Institutional Review Board, Board of Corrections, Correctional Industries Commission, and the Narcotic Addict Evaluation Authority. YACA was headed by an Agency Secretary who reported to the Governor. The Secretary also acted as the chairperson of the Board of Corrections (Governor's Budget, 1980-1981).
Effective July 1, 2005, the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency and all of the entities that previously reported to the Agency, were consolidated into the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) (Chapter 10, Statutes of 2005; Governor's Reorganization Plan #1 of 2005, Statutes of 2005).
Researcher note: This guide describes only the records sent to the California State Archives from the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency between 1979 and 1998. From 1961 to 1968, there existed a Youth and Adult Corrections Agency (Chapter 2037, Statutes of 1961) with a similar structure and scope as the agency described in this guide. However, no records were sent to the California State Archives from that agency. Researchers may be able to find records relating to the 1961-1968 YACA by reviewing the records of subordinate agencies such as Department of Corrections or the Youth Authority from that time period.

Scope and Content

The records of the California Youth and Adult Correctional Agency (YACA) consist of twenty-four cubic feet of textual records reflecting the Agency's administration of the Department of Corrections, Youth Authority, Board of Prison Terms, Youthful Offender Parole Board, Institutional Review Board, Board of Corrections, Correctional Industries Commission, and the Narcotic Addict Evaluation Authority. The records date from 1979-1998. The records are organized into nine record series: Bill Files, Correspondence, California Stop Crime Coalition (CSCC) Files, Immigration Files, Proposed Legislation Files, Executive Subject Files, Facility Construction Files, Litigation Files, and Department Subject Files.
First and foremost, this record group presents an overview of the general running of the executive office of a superagency as reflected in the Bill Files, Correspondence, Proposed Legislation Files, Executive Subject Files, and Department Subject Files. However, it also reflects the interests of the specific executives in charge; both Undersecretary Rod Blonien and, later, Secretary Joe Sandoval were heavily involved in the California Stop Crime Coalition (CSCC). Finally, the YACA records provide insight into the cultural attitude toward crime and corrections of the time period; YACA and its subordinate agencies were responsible for the safety and welfare of not only California's residents, but for California's prisoners as well. The most frequently recurring subjects found throughout all of the series include immigration, substance abuse, humane treatment of prisoners, rehabilitation of criminals, prison overcrowding, correctional facility construction, mandatory sentencing, parole, and crime prevention.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
California. Youth and Adult Correctional Agency
Prisons - California
Crime prevention - California


R232.001 Box 1, folder 1 - Box 7, folder 12

Series 1 Bill Files 1993-1996

Physical Description: 136 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by legislative session and numerically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Bill Files pertain to legislation of interest to the agency. Files include analyses, memoranda, correspondence, and news clippings. Significant topics include: prison construction (AB3116 and SB1279, 1995-1996); Inmate Bill of Rights (AB20X, 1993-1994; SB1260, 1995-1996); medical research performed on prisoners (SB269, 1993-1994); civil rights of prisoners (SB1221, 1995-1996); sentence reduction (AB113, 1993-1994); and lethal injection (AB961, 1993-1994).
1993-1994 AB2-AB3822, ACR8-ACR16, AJR8-AJR62, AB3X-AB161X (49ff) Box 1/1 - Box 3/7
1993-1994 SB20-SB2138, SCA6-SCA22, SCR38, SB3X-SB51X (31ff) Box 3/8 - Box 4/19
1995-1996 AB1-AB3502, ACA2, AJR58,AB4XX-AB43XX (35ff) Box 4/20 - Box 6/12
1995-1996 SB7-SB2177, SCA7, SCR12 (24ff) Box 6/13 - Box 7/12
R232.002 Box 7, folder 13-Box 9, folder 7

Series 2 Correspondence 1981-1992

Physical Description: 52 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence pertain to the letters and information associated primarily with the executive office of the YACA. The correspondence typically include an attachment such as memoranda, reports, news clippings, bill analysis, statistical data, articles, press releases, and proposed programs, policies, bill amendments, and legislation. The series includes both intra-agency communications as well as messages sent between the YACA and external state agencies. Within the superagency, the most frequent department correspondence was sent to or received by the Youth Authority, Corrections, and the Prison Industry Board. External correspondents include the department of Finance, Department of General Services, the state Attorney General, and the state Auditor General. Topics of note include Wilson v. Deukmejian, Trans World Airlines (TWA), and Hustler Magazine.
R232.003 Box 9, folders 8-30

Series 3 California Stop Crime Coalition (CSCC) Files 1985-1997

Physical Description: 23 file folders, 1 audio

Access Information

Access to audiovisual material requires the production of use copies.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading, then chronologically by date as necessary.

Scope and Content Note

The California Stop Crime Coalition (CSCC) was formed in 1976 for the purpose of educating "the public about laws relating to the commission of crime and to encourage citizen support and involvement in preventing crime (Bylaws)." One of the co-founders of this non-profit organization was Rodney Blonien, who would later become the Undersecretary of YACA. When the Coalition was disbanded in 1997, the director was Joe Sandoval, then Secretary of YACA. Files include correspondence, minutes, agendas, reports, news clippings, articles, notes, memoranda, photographs, budgets, and promotional materials. Significant topics include meeting files dated from 1988 to 1994, the Crime Prevention Awards, and promotional materials for specific campaigns such as "Drugs, Pregnancy, and You" and "Lock It or Lose It."
Audio/videotapes from the CSCC files have been removed to cold storage and separation sheets are included within the file folders to indicate this.
R232.004. Box 10, folder 1-Box 11, folder 19

Series 4 Immigration Files 1985-1997

Physical Description: 68 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Immigration Files pertain to the correctional issues compounded by the illegal immigrant population in California. Files include correspondence, press releases, memoranda, notes, reports, statistics, articles, news clippings, testimony, minutes, agendas, and bill analyses. Significant topics include criminal aliens, INS, deportation, legislation, the Criminal Alien Working Group, Commission on Immigration Reform, Anaheim Pilot Program, fingerprinting, State of California v. United States of America, and Proposition 187 (1994).
R232.005 Box 11, folders 20-42

Series 5 Proposed Legislation Files 1991-1998

Physical Description: 23 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Proposed Legislation Files contain research files on legislation proposed by internal agencies, external agencies, and legislators. Files include analyses, reports, statistics, correspondence, and articles. Internal agencies proposing legislation include Youth Authority (YA), Department of Corrections (CDC), Board of Prison Terms (BoPT), and Board of Corrections (BoC). External agencies include Office of Criminal Justice Planning, Department of Personnel Administration, Department of General Services, Health and Welfare Agency, and the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency. Legislators include Joe Ayala, Fred Aguiar, Joe Baca, Bill Lockyer, Ken Maddy, Robert Prenter, and Herschel Rosenthal. Significant topics include parole, facilities maintenance, mandatory sentencing, acquisition reform, school districts, gangs, sexual predator registry, and addiction.
R232.006 Box 11, folder 43-Box 18, folder 29

Series 6 Executive Subject Files 1979-1997

Physical Description: 220 file folders

Access Information

This series contains five files which are RESTRICTED under the California Public Records Act, Government Code sections 7927.705 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254(k)), 7927.205 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254.25), 7930.110 (formerly Gov. Code section 6276.04) (Attorney-Client Privilege); 7927.7 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254(c)) (Personnel Files); and 7923.600-7923.625 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254(f)) (Investigative Files).

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Executive Subject Files pertain to the many and varied topics of interest to the administrative office of the YACA. Specifically, these files appear to have been created by the staff of Undersecretary Rod Blonien and, later, Secretary Joe Sandoval. Files include memoranda, correspondence, notes, articles, reports, news clippings, testimony, statistics, analyses, bond statements, and hearing transcripts. Significant topics include legislation, litigation, AIDS, mandatory sentences, marijuana, Kitchell CEM, bifurcated Supreme Court (Mosk Proposal), prison funding, prison population/overcrowding, Free Venture Program, the Los Angeles Riots of 1992, community treatment programs, substance abuse, privatization, and the California Corrections Executive Council (CCEC).
R232.007 Box 19, folder 1-Box 21, folder 25

Series 7 Facility Construction Files 1983-1992

Physical Description: 78 file folders

Access Information

This series is RESTRICTED per Government Code section 7923.600-7923.625 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254(f)) related to security procedures compiled by the Department of Corrections; and Government Code section 7927.705 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254(k)) (Attorney-Client Privilege).

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Facility Construction Files primarily pertain to the site selection and building of new prison facilities. Between 1982 and 1984, voters approved $800 million in prison construction bonds and, between 1984 and 1986; ground was broken on ten new correctional facilities. Files include reports, building plans, correspondence, bond statements, news clippings, memoranda, and articles. Notable locations include Adelanto, Avenal, Del Norte, Corcoran, and San Quentin. Significant topics include site selection, facilities construction, expansion, repair, and the Joint Committee on Prison Construction and Operations.
R232.008 Box 22, folder 1-Box 23, folder 25

Series 8 Litigation Files 1979-1998

Physical Description: 57 file folders

Access Information

This series is RESTRICTED under the California Public Records Act, Government Code sections 7927.705 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254(k)), 7927.205 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254.25), 7930.110 (formerly Gov. Code section 6276.04) (Attorney-Client Privilege).

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Litigation Files pertain to eighteen lawsuits of interest to the YACA. Files include testimony, correspondence, memoranda, and legal briefs. Two cases make up the bulk of the series. The first is Toussaint v McCarthy (Director of Department of Corrections). This case concerned the living conditions of prisoners in administrative segregation (also known as "lockup"). Locations include Folsom Prison, San Quentin Prison, Soledad Correctional Training Facility, and Deuel Vocational Institution. In addition to improved living conditions, prisoners desired increased services such as visitation, exercise time, and access to education and legal reference materials. This case concluded in 1982. The second lawsuit is Wilson v Brown (later, Wilson v Deukmejian). In 1983, the Marin County Superior Court rendered a decision wherein the Department of Corrections was charged with the responsibility for the development of an immediate plan that would eliminate overcrowding at San Quentin Prison, such living conditions considered cruel and unusual punishment.
R232.009 Box 24, folders 1-31

Series 9 Department Subject Files 1980-1987

Physical Description: 31 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

The Department Subject Files contain research files on issues related to specific departments within the YACA. Files include reports, correspondence, analysis, news clippings, memoranda, minutes, and agendas. Significant topics include special education, work, and suicide (Youth Authority); jail funding, and Economic Strategies in Probation (Board of Corrections); determinate sentencing and parole revocation (Board of Prison Terms); Prisoner's Union, Reorganization, Prison Industry Authority, and overcrowding (Department of Corrections).