"... On July 1, 1876, the first seven inmates entered the Territorial Prison at Yuma, and were locked into the new cells they had built themselves. A total of 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women, lived within these walls during the prison's thirty-three years of operation. Their crimes ranged from murder to polygamy, with grand larceny being the most common.
A majority served only portions of their sentences due to the ease with which paroles and pardons were obtained. One hundred eleven persons died while serving their sentences, most from tuberculosis, which was common throughout the territory. Of the many prisoners who attempted escape, twenty-six were successful, but only two were from within the prison confines. No executions took place at the prison because capital punishment was administered by the county government..."

Yuma Prison was closed down when the new prison was built in Florence.
Yuma High School's colors are black and white and their nickname is the Criminals. This came about because when the high school was founded in 1909 during territorial days, the empty prison was used for classrooms.