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| An Inventory of Records of the Texas Prison System at the Texas State Archives, 1913-1933, 1943, undated |
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"An Act to Establish a State Penitentiary" was passed in 1848
by the Second Legislature. The act established a governing body of the
penitentiary as a three-member Board of Directors, appointed by the Governor,
with the approval of the Senate. The Board was responsible for creating and
distributing a set of rules and bylaws for the administration of the
penitentiary, overseeing the treatment of convicts, preparing an annual
inventory of property, and making an annual report to the Governor. Over the
years, the name and composition of the Board changed. While its basic functions
were not greatly altered, some duties were added. These included acquiring land
for the Huntsville and Rusk facilities, purchasing machinery, effecting repairs,
leasing the penitentiaries, leasing convicts for outside labor, purchasing
and/or leasing farms for the employment of convicts, and providing for the
transfer of convicts from county jails to the penitentiary. During the 19th
century the direct management of the prison was through the inspector, later
known as the superintendent. Other officers included assistant superintendents,
inspectors of outside camps, the financial agent, and physicians. The
superintendent and financial agent had the most direct dealings with the Board
and the Governor in the management of the prison system.
The prison system began as a single institution, located in
Huntsville, known as the Huntsville Penitentiary. Convicts were put to work in
various shops and factories housed within the institution. In 1871, the
legislature directed that the penitentiary be leased to private individuals
(Chapter 21, 12th Legislature, 1st Called Session). These men, known as lessees,
paid the state for the convict labor and use of facilities, and in turn, managed
the system, including clothing and feeding the convicts and paying the guards.
It was during this period that the outside camp system was firmly established as
part of the prison system. In addition to the use of convicts in and around the
prison, the convicts were hired out to large labor employers, mainly plantation
owners and railroad companies. A second prison facility, Rusk Penitentiary, was
built between 1877 and 1882. It began receiving convicts in January of 1883.
In 1881, the Legislature reorganized the prison system,
abolishing the Board of Directors, and creating in its place a Penitentiary
Board, consisting of the governor, the state treasurer, and the prison
superintendent (Chapter 49, 17th Legislature, Regular Session). In April 1883,
the administrative system was again reorganized, with the board comprised of the
governor and two commissioners appointed by the governor (Chapter 114, 18th
Legislature, Regular Session). In 1885, the board composition changed once more,
now consisting of three commissioners appointed by the governor (House Bill 562,
19th Legislature, Regular Session). This board was succeeded by the Board of
Prison Commissioners in 1910, which was composed of three commissioners
appointed by the governor (Senate Bill 10, 31st Legislature, 4th Called
Session). The legislation that created the new board also directed the prison
system to begin operating again on state account, i.e., lessees no longer
managed the prison system, effective in January 1911. Convicts, or inmates, were
housed and worked in one of the two prisons or on one of several state prison
farms. The shop industries slowed down while the prison farms expanded. This
arrangement made it more difficult to provide education and other reform
measures. Such measures were generally practiced at Huntsville, with some
teaching extended to a couple of prison farms by the early 1900s.
The Texas Prison Board replaced the Board of Prison
Commissioners as the governing body for the Texas Prison System in 1927,
increasing in size to nine members (House Bill 59, 40th Legislature, Regular
Session). The members of the board were appointed by the governor, with senate
approval, to six year overlapping terms. The Board formulated the policies and
the manager carried them out. During the Board's tenure, 1927-1957, the Board
made changes in the system including more emphasis on prison reform, teaching,
recreation--including the establishment of the Texas Prison Rodeo--and a new
method of classifying inmates. The Texas Prison System became the Department of
Corrections in 1957 (Senate Bill 42, 55th Legislature, Regular Session). This
Department was governed by the Board of Corrections, composed of nine members
appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate to six year
overlapping terms.
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These records of the Texas Prison Board include reports;
accounts, operating expenses, receipts and disbursements, inventories, and other
financial records; proposed prison legislation; an escape analysis; statistical
compilations; affidavits; a clipping; and lists of prison employees. Dates
covered are 1913-1933, 1943, undated. Specific types of reports present are
monthly reports on the condition of the state prison system and the status of
convicts in the prisons, an inspection report on the prison system, a report on
building repairs and replacements, and a report by the Texas Committee on
Prisons and Prison Labor.
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These records are organized into three series: |
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Monthly reports, 1914-1915, 1931-1932 (bulk 1931-1932),
1.29 cubic ft. |
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Financial records, 1913-1929, 1931, 1943 (bulk
1926-1928), 0.37 cubic ft. |
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Miscellanous records, 1921, 1925-1933, undated, 0.1 cubic
ft. |
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Restrictions on Access
None.
Restrictions on Use
None.
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The terms listed here were used to catalog the records. The
terms can be used to find similar or related records. |
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Corporate Names: |
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Texas. Board of Prison Commissioners. |
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Texas. Committee on Prisons and Prison Labor. |
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Subjects: |
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Prisons--Texas. |
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Escapes--Texas. |
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Prisoners--Texas. |
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Prisoners--Statistics. |
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Prison administration--Texas. |
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Prison industries--Texas. |
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Prisoners--Legal status, laws, etc.--Texas |
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Prisons--Texas--Maintenance and repairs. |
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Prisons--Texas--Officials and employees. |
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Document Types: |
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Reports--Prisons--Texas--1914-1915, 1928-1933. |
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Statistics--Prisons--Texas--1928. |
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Financial records--Prisons--Texas--1913-1929, 1931, 1943. |
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Functions: |
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Managing prisons. |
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Documenting Texas prisons. |
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The following materials are offered as possible sources of
further information on the agencies and subjects covered by the records. The
listing is not exhaustive. |
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Texas State Archives |
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Records Relating to the Penitentiary, 1846-1921, 76.4 linear
ft. |
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Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Records, 1849-2001, 165.95 cubic
ft. |
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Strays Collection, Comptroller's Office Strays (specifically folders
titled: Correspondence, Texas Prison System), 1931-1932, fractional
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(Identify the item and cite the series), Records of the Texas
Prison System, Texas Prison Board. Archives and Information Services Division,
Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession numbers: 1998/257, 2002/027
There is no accession data for these records. The monthly
reports were removed from Governors' records during processing and were assigned
an accession number for control purposes on August 12, 1998. Other materials
were removed from the Strays Collection and assigned an accession number for
control purposes on October 1, 2001.
Laura K. Saegert, October 2001
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Monthly reports, 1914-1915, 1931-1932 (bulk 1931-1932),
1.29 cubic ft.
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These are monthly reports on the condition of the
state prison system and the status of convicts in the prisons, submitted to the
governor by the governing body of the Texas prison system, the Texas Board of
Prison Commissioners, later the Texas Prison Board, for the years 1914-1915 and
1931-1932, bulk dating 1931-1932. All the reports give the number of convicts on
hand and the number received from each county that month, and have separate
lists for the following: convicts escaped, recaptured, returned for parole
violations, delivered to sheriffs, discharged, paroled, pardoned, and died.
Other lists or tables in the report include the number of convicts at each
prison or prison camp; a hospital report, listing diagnoses at each
prison/prison camp; and a table of provisions provided at each prison/prison
camp. The reports for 1931-1932 also include lists of convicts returned for
violation of furlough, convicts furloughed, convicts whose citizenship was
restored; a report of the prison dental surgeon; and summary report on the
status of convicts (escaped, pardoned, recaptured, etc.) for the month covered
by the report, the previous month, and the same two months for the previous
year. |
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Arrangement |
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The reports are arranged chronologically. |
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Preferred Citation |
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(Identify the item), Monthly reports, Records of the
Texas Prison System, Texas Prison Board. Archives and Information Services
Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission. |
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Accession Information |
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Accession number: 1998/257 |
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There is no accession data for these records. The
reports were removed from Governors' records during processing and were assigned
an accession number for control purposes on August 12, 1998. |
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Processed by |
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Laura K. Saegert, October 2001 |
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Texas State Penitentiaries monthly
reports |
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| 1998/257-1 |
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May 1914 |
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September 1914 |
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October 1915 |
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November 1915 |
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Texas Prison System monthly reports
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| 1998/257-1 |
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January 1931 |
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February 1931 |
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March 1931 |
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April 1931 |
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| 1998/257-2 |
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May 1931 |
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June 1931 |
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July 1931 |
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August 1931 |
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September 1931 |
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October 1931 |
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November 1931 |
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December 1931 |
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January 1932 |
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February 1932 |
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| 1998/257-3 |
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March 1932 |
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April 1932 |
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May 1932 |
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June 1932 |
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July 1932 |
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August 1932 |
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September 1932 |
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October 1932 |
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November 1932 |
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December 1932 |
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Financial records, 1913-1929, 1931, 1943 (bulk 1926-1928),
0.37 cubic
ft. |
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Records in this series are various financial documents
on the condition of the Texas Prison System. Types of records present include
lists of receipts and disbursements, operating expenses, and accounts and
expenditures; inventories of goods and property; loss and gain statements;
cashier's monthly reports; and an audit of cash movement, dating 1913-1929,
1931, 1943, with the bulk dating 1926-1928. |
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Arrangement |
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These records are arranged by type of record, then
chronologically. |
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Preferred Citation |
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(Identify the item), Financial records, Records of the
Texas Prison System, Texas Prison Board. Archives and Information Services
Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission. |
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Accession Information |
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Accession number: 2002/027 |
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There is no accession data for these records. These
materials were removed from the Strays Collection and were assigned an accession
number for control purposes on October 1, 2001. |
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Processed by |
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Laura K. Saegert, October 2001 |
| box |
| 2002/027 |
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Receipts and disbursements, June 1927 |
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Receipts and disbursements, July 1929 |
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Audit for cash movement, September 1931 |
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Cashier's monthly report: |
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September 1942 |
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December 1942 |
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January 1943 |
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February 1943 |
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March 1943 |
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April 1943 |
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May 1943 |
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July 1943 |
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Inventory, 1926-1927 |
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Inventory and operating expenses, 1921-1926 |
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Operating expenses, 1913-1914 |
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Operating expenses and cash expenditures,
1927-1928 |
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Prison system farms, loss and gain statement of
operations, 1915-1927 |
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Accounts and expenditures, 1926 |
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Accounts and expenditures, 1927 |
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Prison system trial balance,
1926 |
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Miscellanous records, 1921, 1925-1933, undated,
0.1 cubic ft.
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Records in this series consist of an inspection report
on the state prison system, a report on conditions at the prison, a report on
building repairs and replacements, a report by the Texas Committee on Prisons
and Prison Labor, proposed prison legislation, an escape analysis, lists of
employees in the prison system, various statistical compilations on the prison
system, affidavits, and a clipping. Dates covered are 1921, 1925-1933, and
undated. |
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Arrangement |
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These records are arranged by type of
record. |
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Preferred Citation |
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(Identify the item), Miscellaneous records, Records of
the Texas Prison System, Texas Prison Board. Archives and Information Services
Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission. |
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Accession Information |
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Accession number: 2002/027 |
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There is no accession data for these records. These
materials were removed from the Strays Collection and were assigned an accession
number for control purposes on October 1, 2001. |
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Processed by |
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Laura K. Saegert, October 2001 |
| box |
| 2002/027 |
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Inspection report on the state prison system,
1933 |
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Texas Prison Board meeting, report of general manager
on conditions of prison system, 1928 |
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Report, building repairs and replacements,
1928 |
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Texas Committee on Prisons and Prison Labor, report,
ca. 1931 |
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Proposed legislation reorganizing the prison system,
ca. 1931 |
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Escape analysis, 1928 |
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List of employees in the prison system, 1921 |
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Prison system statistics - principal employees,
distribution of convict forces, etc., 1928 |
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Prison system statistics, ca. 1928 |
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Ramsey Farm, acreage, ca. 1927 |
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Affidavits, 1925 |
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Clipping on public policy on pentientiary system,
undated |
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