8/10/2019 California Criminal Justice Time Line
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I1822End of
Spanish rulein California.
Mexicancontrolbegins.
1836First vigilance
committee formedin Pueblo deLos Angeles.
1848Gold
discovered January 24
by JamesMarshall at
Sutters Mill.I
Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgosigned.
Mexico cedesCalifornia to
U.S.
I1849
San Francisco specialpolice force formed in
response towidespreadlawlessness.
IFirst California
constitution ratified.It forbids slavery andrequests admission to
the Union.I
First state electionheld Tuesday,
November 13. PeterH. Burnett electedfirst governor of
California.I
First state legislaturemeets in San Jose, the
first capital of California.
IC.S. Hastings electedfirst Chief Justice of
the StateSupreme Court.
IEdward J.C. Kewenelected first attorneygeneral of California.
I1846First jury
summoned byWalter Colton, first
American alcalde, inMonterey.
1850First county election held in
San Francisco. Sheriffs,attorneys, judges, andcoroners are elected.
ICalifornia granted statehoodand admitted as 31st state on
September 9.
I1851
Act passed byCalifornia
Legislature makesrobbery and grandlarceny punishableby imprisonment
or death.
IFirst San Francisco VigilanceCommittee
formed.I
Los Angelesapproves
formation of vigilance
committee. Oneman hanged was
later provedinnocent.
IFirst state prison,
a ship namedWaban, opens.
1852First Californiaprison built on
land,San Quentin, is
founded.
I1853
Legislatureapprovesformation
of CaliforniaRangers totrack down
JoaquinMurieta.
1856Second San Francisco
Vigilance Committeeformed.
IConsolidation Act
enlarges and formalizesSan Franciscos police
force. Vigilance
committee maintainsinfluence by selectingchief of police.
1874Construction
begins inFolsom on
secondCalifornia
prison builton land.
1879California constitution of 1879
approved. State Board of PrisonDirectors established. Privateprison industries abolished.
I1884
In response to313 stagecoach
robberiesbetween 1870
and 1884,Wells Fargo
creates its own
investigativedivision, whichcaptures
Charles E.Black Bart
Bolton.1891
Whittier StateSchool, the
beginning of Californias
modern systemof juvenilecorrections,
opens.
IState of Californiaassumes
responsibility forexecutions.
CaliforniaCriminalJusticeTimeLine1822-2000
I1872PenalCode
becomeslaw.
California Department of JusticeDivision of Criminal Justice Information ServicesBureau of Criminal Information and AnalysisCRIMINAL JUSTICE STATISTICS CENTER Historical Research: Adele SpearsGraphics: Rebecca BoweEditor: Tad Davis
Population1,213,398
1890Population864,694
1880Population560,247
1870Population379,994
1860Population
92,597
1850
1822 18601850 18871848
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19241912 1932 1940I
1893Californiaenacts its
firstparolelaw.
1903Law enablescounties to
establish juvenilecourts for
delinquents andplaces restrictionson detention of juveniles with
adults.I
California beginsprobationprograms.
I1905
CaliforniaState Bureauof Criminal
Identificationcreated tomaintain
records on
wantedpersons andthose already
inconfinement.
1909Law requires
California countiesto maintain
separate juveniledetention facilities.
I1910 Alice
StebbinsWells
becomesfirst
policewomanin
Californiaand the U.S.
1911Law provides that no
intoxicated personshall drive.
I1914
Los AngelesCounty createsOffice of the
PublicDefender, the
first of its kindin the U.S.
Walton J. Woodbecomes firstpublic defender.
ICongress passesHarrison Act toregulate and tax
production,importation,
andmanufacture of opium or coca
leaves, theirderivatives, etc.
1916 August Vollmer developsfirst formal, academic law
enforcement program.
1917California
adopts
indeter-minatesentencing
system.
I1920
Volstead Act(Prohibition)takes effect.
1926Georgia P. Bullock elected judge of the Los AngelesMunicipal Court.She is Californiasfirst woman to
hold such aposition.
I1927Division
of NarcoticEnforce-
mentcreated aspart of
the StateBoard of Pharmacy.
1929California Highway
Patrol created.I
California CrimeCommission
requests legislatureto hire statistician
for Bureau of Criminal
Identification and
Information (CII).CII formallyorganized in 1930and begins datacollection from
agencies.
I1931
WickershamCommission cites
need for morecomplete crimeinformation.
California becomesfirst state to
establish astatewide reportingsystem to provide
such data.I
Act regulating sale,possession, and
transportation of machine guns
approved.I
CaliforniaLegislature
establishes Boardof Prison Terms
and Paroles.
1933Two lynched in
San JosesSt. James Park forkidnapping andmurder. Mob
action praised byCalifornia
Governor JamesRolph, Jr.
IProhibitionrepealed by 21st
Amendment toU.S. Constitution.
1937Law authorizes use of lethal gas as means of
execution inCalifornia.
I1938
Firstlethalgas
executioncarriedout.
1941California Youth
Authority created.I
First womanexecuted in
San Quentins gaschamber.
I1935
ComprehensiveMotor Vehicle
Actdistinguishes
between drunk driving
resulting in
death or injuryand all othertypes; alsoincreases
penalties forrecidivism.
194L
offhangocc
1904
Population6,907,387
PrisonPopulation
8,180
1940
Population5,677,251
PrisonPopulation
7,071
1930
Population3,426,861
1920Population2,377,549
1910Population1,485,053
1900
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1945 1966 1971 1981I
1944Californias
penal systemrestructuredwith Prison
Reorganization Act.
Departments
of Justice andCorrectionscreated.
1945Bureau of Criminal
Statistics (now Criminal Justice Statistics Center)
formed to collectcriminal justice data.
I1952
Bureau of Criminal
Statistics beginscollecting data
on felonycrimes and
arrests, superior
courtdispositions,adult commit-ments, Youth Authority
wards, juvenileprobation, and
jail population.
1960
Caryl Chessman executedat San Quentin.
His execution for crimesless than murder reopensdebate on death penalty.
I1963
U.S. SupremeCourt rulesthat criminaldefendantsmust have
counsel andthat illegally
acquiredevidence isnot
admissible.
I1967
Aaron Mitchelldies in San
Quentins gaschamber for
the killing of aSacramento
police officer.
He becomesthe 194thperson
executed in thegas chamber in
California.
1969Use a Gun,
Go to Prison statuteenacted by California
Legislature.
I1971
KeldgordReport calls forrestructuringof correctionsin California
with emphasison community-
basedalternatives.1972
Death penalty ruledunconstitutional byCalifornia Supreme
Court.
I1974Public vote
results inreinstate-ment of the deathpenalty in
California.
I1977Deathpenalty
reinstatedin
California.
I1982
California votersapprove
Proposition 8,the Victims
Bill of Rights.
1981Legislation provides
mandatoryminimum penaltiesfor drunk driving
convictions.
I1989
Roberti-Roos AssaultWeapons
Control Actapproved.It regulatespermits and
bans the sale,manufacture,and
distributionof military-type assault
rifles.1985
California Departmentof Justices (DOJ)
Automated FingerprintIdentification Systembecomes operational;
identifies RichardRamirez, the
serial killer known asthe Night Stalker.
1990Blue Ribbon Commission on
Inmate Population Managementrecommends expanded use of
punishment options withemphasis on community-based
alternatives in response to prisonovercrowding.
ICongress passes Crime Control
Act of 1990 prohibitingimportation and manufacture of
semi-automatic weapons
designated as assault weapons. Actalso establishes gun-free schoolzones.
IFederal Hate Crimes Statistics Act
becomes law.I
First boot camp in Californiaopens for juveniles in Los Angeles
County.
I1991
Beating oRodney Kin
four peace officgalvanizes pub
opinionationwide a
highlight
problems police andminoritrelations.
IU.S. DOlaunches
Operation Wand Seed to hprevent crime animprove qualof life in hig
crimeneighborhoo
1990
1976Legislation decriminalizesmarijuana; possession of
one ounce or lessbecomes a misdemeanor.
ICalifornia invokes
determinate sentencing.I
Death penalty againdeclared unconstitutional
by California SupremeCourt.
FelonyArrest Rate
2,490.5
Population29,557,836
PrisonPopulation
99,145
CCI Rate3,443.0
Felony DrugArrest Rate
627.9
1990
FelonyArrest Rate
1,977.2
Population23,668,145
PrisonPopulation
27,916
CCI Rate3,922.1
Felony DrugArrest Rate
345.8
1980
FelonyArrest Rate
2,049.8
Population20,039,000
PrisonPopulation
22,399
CCI Rate2,987.1
Felony DrugArrest Rate
769.4
1970
FelonyArrest Rate
1,170.0
Population15,860,000
PrisonPopulation
21,660
CCI Rate1,441.8
Felony DrugArrest Rate
136.6
1960
Population10,586,223
PrisonPopulation
11,598
1950
CCI Rate898.1
1952
1966U.S. Supreme Court rulesthat persons accused of
crimes must be informed of their constitutional rights,
including the right toremain silent, before being
questioned(Miranda rights).
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