Google Analytics Criminal Justice and Law Archives - Power Library

Criminal Justice and Law (118 collections)

  • Admission and Discharge Books (PA) 1844-1888

    Monthly record books of admissions and discharges to the Eastern State Penitentiary. For admissions the information provided is admission date, inmate number, race, age at admission, more

  • Admission and Discharge Books (PA) 1872-1900

    Admission and discharge books for Western State Penitentiary. Information provided in admission books is name of inmate, date of admission, admission number, race, age, gender, physical more

  • Admission of Attorneys Dockets, 1742-1935, 1970-1977

    Images of lists of attorneys granted permission to practice in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. In order to practice at this level, attorneys were required to more

  • Appeal Dockets, 1795-2014

    Images of a record of appellate cases in the Supreme Court, Western District. Cases deal with issues under the Court's mandatory and discretionary jurisdiction. Cases falling more

  • Appearance and Continuance Dockets, 1740-1795

    Images of records of cases brought before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the Eastern District. An Appearance Docket generally documents the initial proceedings of a more

  • Appearance Dockets, 1795-1977

    Images of dockets of appeals petitioned to the Supreme Court, Eastern District. Information given for each case includes the dates of returnable papers; arguments and opinions; more

  • Appearance Dockets, 1956-1977

    These are images of basic appearance dockets for the Supreme Court, marking the date that the original writ was issued by the Supreme Court and whether more

  • Attorney General’s Opinions (PA) 1892-1893, 1896-1898

    Correspondence relating to legal opinions rendered by the Attorney General and the impact on administration of the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is date of more

  • Autograph File, 1683, 1767-1815

    The documents within this series were extracted from their original series files in 1925 due to their unique historical value. They contain valuable autographs of national more

  • Bertillon Registration Books (PA) 1888-1895

    Bertillon books for inmates incarcerated at the Western State Penitentiary.  Information provided is inmate number, name of inmate, length and width of head, length of left more

  • Board of Commissioners Journal to Erect the Western State Penitentiary (PA) 1818-1835

    Journal containing minutes of the proceedings and reports of the Board of Commissioners selected by the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh in more

  • Bundles of Miscellaneous Court Papers with Index, 1790-1883

    Images of various documents filed with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, including petitions, transcripts, maps of streets and land tracts, copies of opinions, affidavits, wills, charges more

  • Case Files of the Court of Admiralty, 1760-1795

    Images of case files for cases brought before the Court of Admiralty in Philadelphia. Included in the files are descriptions of the proceedings, copies of the more

  • Claims Docket, 1778-1779

    Images of cases heard and adjudged in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania against citizens accused of high treason. The cases involve claims made against the real more

  • Clemency File, 1775-1790, undated

    Images of a record of individual case files that may contain diverse documents about persons seeking pardons from the President of the Supreme Executive Council, the more

  • Clemency File, 1790-1873

    Images of primarily petitions for clemency addressed to the President of the Supreme Executive Council, the Governor, or the Board of Pardons and pardon proclamations issued more

  • Commitment Papers (PA) 1841, 1861-1904

    Records of commitment of prisoners to the Eastern State Penitentiary. Information provided is commitment number, name of person committed, county and court in which tried, crime more

  • Commutation and Parole Books (PA) 1907-1932

    Recommendations sent to the Governor by the Board of Pardons for granting commutation or parole.  A commutation is the changing of a penalty to a more

  • Commutation Books (PA) 1865-1918

    Record books of commutations granted to inmates incarcerated at the Eastern State Penitentiary.  Information given is date of reception, prisoner number, name of prisoner, age, race, more

  • Commutation Books (PA) 1917-1958

    Record books of commutations granted to inmates incarcerated at Western State Penitentiary.  Information provided is prisoner number, name of inmate, dates transferred to or returned from more

  • Conduct Ledgers, 1889-1898, 1903-1905, 1916-1918

    Conduct ledgers which recorded points earned by inmates incarcerated at the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is ledger number, name of inmate, age, crime for more

  • Continuance Dockets, 1795-1837

    Images of dockets that list subsequent actions taken and papers filed in a case after the initial entry in another docket. Information given includes names of more

  • Contract Book (PA) 1837-1856

    Record book containing transcripts of contracts between various private vendors and the Board of Property Inspectors for the Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is date of more

  • Convict Affidavit Books (PA) 1835-1856

    Affidavits signed by inmates received at Eastern State Penitentiary acknowledging the property in their possession at the time of admission.  Information provided is affidavit number, name more

  • Convict Description and Receiving Dockets (PA) 1872-1957

    Convict description and receiving dockets for Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is sequential number assigned for the year, inmate number, name of inmate, race, county where more

  • Convict Docket (PA) 1826-1859

    Convict docket for Western State Penitentiary.  Information provided is name of convict, crime of which convicted, sentence, date convict sentenced, name of prosecutor, date admitted, brief more

  • Coroners’ Inquisition Papers, 1751, 1768-1796

    Images of reports of inquisitions conducted by a County Coroner and a twelve man panel who had viewed a body attesting to the cause of death. more

  • Daily Population Statistical Reports (PA) 1924, 1928-1929, 1940, 1960

    Daily inmate population statistical reports for Western State Penitentiary.  Information provided is date of report, number of inmates in the old prison, number of inmates in more

  • Death Warrants File (PA) 1874-1899

    Record book of the Board of Pardons for capital cases. Information provided is name of inmate, inmate number, county, date warrant issued, date of execution, date more

  • Death Warrants File, 1795-1873

    Images of death warrants signed by the Governor. Information given is condemned prisoners name, nature of the crime, location of trial, and execution date. In most more

  • Declaration of Intention Dockets, 1819-1870, 1873-1875, 1881-1906

    Images of dockets containing oaths, sworn before the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, affirming an alien's intention to become a more

  • Department of Justice (PA) Board of Pardons Books, 1874-1934

    This collection contains Board of Pardons reviews of criminal cases, except impeachment, to determine whether clemency should be recommended to the Governor for his or her more

  • Descriptive Books (PA) 1826-1873

    Descriptive book of inmates incarcerated at Western State Penitentiary.  Information provided is name of inmate, county where sentenced, date sentenced, length of sentence, crime for which more

  • Descriptive Register (PA) 1826-1876

    Convict registration book for prisoners received at the Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is registration number, name of inmate and any alias used, age, place of more

  • Descriptive Registers (PA) 1829-1903

    Descriptive registers of inmates incarcerated at the Eastern State Penitentiary. Information provided is name of inmate, crime for which convicted, sentence imposed, date sentenced, name of more

  • Discharge Books (PA) 1830-1858

    Discharge books for the Eastern State Penitentiary. Information provided is inmate number, name of inmate, age at discharge, race, gender, crime for which sentenced, county where more

  • Discharge Descriptive Dockets (PA) 1873-1934

    Descriptive discharge dockets for inmates released from the Eastern State Penitentiary.  Information provided name of prisoner, prisoner number, weight, age at time of discharge, gender, crime more

  • Divorce Papers, 1786-1815

    Images of case files for divorce cases brought before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the Eastern District. Documents filed may include petitions (libels) for divorce, more

  • Dockets, Including Lancaster and Chambersburg District Dockets, 1800-1961

    Images of a record of cases brought before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the Middle District. Information provided about each case may include names of more

  • Equity Dockets, 1836-1875, 1877, 1880

    Images of a record of equity in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Docket entries were generally begun one or two terms before the case was actually more

  • Escheat Papers, 1796-1822, undated

    On September 29, 1787 "An Act to Declare and Regulate Escheats" became law. According to it, the law established a process by which the Commonwealth would more

  • Execution Dockets, 1786-1873

    Images of records of Supreme Court cases in which the execution of the Court's judgment was carried out to enforce payment of debts. Information provided by more

  • Forfeited Estates File, 1777-1790

    Images of a record of estates forfeited by citizens of various counties of Pennsylvania because of their allegiance to the British crown during the Revolutionary War. more

  • General Correspondence (PA) 1891-1946, not inclusive

    Correspondence relating to routine operations, investigations and related matters concerning the routine daily administration of the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is date and subject more

  • General Gaol Delivery Dockets, 1778-1828

    Images of records of criminal cases heard and adjudged in Allegheny, Bedford, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montgomery, Northampton, more

  • General Motions and Divorce Docket, 1750-1837 (Divorces 1800-1805 only)

    This docket contains images of two separate sections, one being a record of rules, resolves and orders of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and the other, more

  • Index of Prisoners (PA) circa mid-1930s – early 1950s

    An index of prisoners admitted to the Western State Penitentiary. Although the exact dates of the index are not known, it appears to cover inmates from more

  • Index to Declaration of Intention Dockets, 1832-1901

    Images of a partial, external index to the 11 volume series RG/033/A/35- Declaration of Intention Dockets, 1819-1870, 1873-1875, 1881-1906. Volumes 2-10, and part of 11/12 of more

  • Index to Naturalization Papers, 1794-1824, 1842-1868

    Images of an index to RG-033-A-75 - Naturalization Papers, 1794-1819, 1821-1868, filed with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the Eastern District. Information provided by entries more

  • Inmate Transfer Register (Discharge Ledger) (PA) 1954-1957

    Register of inmate transfers from the Western State Penitentiary to other prisons. The information provided includes the inmate name and number, the county of residence, the more

  • Investigation Reports of the State Boards of Charities (PA) 1890-1935

    The full title of this series is: Reports and Testimony in Relation to Investigations Made by a Subcommittee of the State Board of Charities and the more

  • Journals of the General Superintendent (PA) 1891-1922

    Daily Journals kept by the Superintendent detailing both routine activities and out of the ordinary events at the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Also present are photographs more

  • Judgment Dockets, 1756-1896

    Images of twelve volumes of indices containing the following information for each judgment: case title, court term when judgment was rendered, page number, and sometimes additional more

  • Ku Klux Klan (PA) General Accounts, 1925-1940

    This collection, arranged chronologically, contains Baldric purchase reports for clan supplies, as well as bills, checks, and receipts for food and uniforms. Details of members' financial more

  • Ku Klux Klan (PA) General Correspondence, 1922-1929, 1932, 1934-1940

    This collection, arranged chronologically, contains official documents, such as Imperial Kligrapp appointments, applications for reinstatement of former Klansmen, as well as appeals for admission, are provided more

  • Ku Klux Klan (PA) General Files, 1923-1940

    This collection contains series grouped by subject and then chronologically, of various papers, election returns, rosters, publications, and applications detailing Klan operations. The rosters and election more

  • Ku Klux Klan (PA) Kleagle Robe Reports, 1924-1925

    This collection, arranged chronologically, contains reports listing Kleagle robes ordered, address, date, location of Klan, quantity of Klansman's and Terror's robes and helmets ordered, as well more

  • Letter Book (PA) 1837-1859

    Letter book of correspondence sent by the Board of Inspectors of the Western State Penitentiary to the Governor's office. Information provided is date of correspondence, names more

  • Letter Press Books (PA) 1879-1880, 1884-1895

    Letter press books of correspondence by General Superintendent of the middle District Penitentiary.  Information provided is date of correspondence, names of correspondents, and the body of more

  • Letters To and From Prisoners (PA) 1845

    Letters sent to and mailed from prisoners incarcerated at Eastern State Penitentiary (also known as Cherry Hill Prison). Correspondents are usually friends and family members. Topics more

  • Medical Statistics Books (PA) 1883-1900

    Record books of medical statistics kept on the inmate population by resident physicians at the Eastern State Penitentiary.  Information provided is name of inmate, date of more

  • Minute Books of the Board of Inspectors and Board of Trustees (PA) 1826-1931

    Minute Books of the Board of Inspectors and Board of Trustees of the Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is dates of meetings or inspections, names of more

  • Minute Books of the Board of Inspectors and Board of Trustees (PA) 1829-1889

    Minutes of the meetings of the Board of Inspectors and Board of Trustees of the Eastern State Penitentiary.  From 1927 these volumes also include entries relating more

  • Minute Books of the Lancaster District, 1810-1829

    Images of minutes of cases heard by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the Lancaster District. Information provided includes names of plaintiff, defendant, attorneys and jurors more

  • Minute Books, 1806-1816, 1819-1981

    Images of minutes of cases heard by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the Court of Nisi Prius in the Eastern District. Information provided includes: justices more

  • Minute Books, 1834-1838, 1854-1857, 1859-1990

    Images of minutes of cases heard by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the Middle District. Information provided includes names of plaintiff, defendant, attorneys and jurors more

  • Minutes of the Board of Inspectors-Trustees Acting as a Parole Board 1910-1930

    Minute books of the Board of Inspectors and the Trustees when acting as a parole board at Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is name of inmate more

  • Minutes of the Board of Trustees (PA) 1931-1954

    Minutes of the monthly meetings of the Western State Penitentiary Board of Trustees. The minutes are not verbatim, but rather are merely summaries of the proceedings. more

  • Minutes of the Court of Admiralty, 1780-1782, 1784-1786, 1788

    Images of minutes of Court of Admiralty sessions held in Philadelphia for both the United States and the State of Pennsylvania. Information provided by the minutes more

  • Miscellaneous Descriptive Books (PA) 1829-1842

    Miscellaneous descriptive books for inmates incarcerated at Eastern State Penitentiary. Information provided is name of inmate, crime for which convicted, sentence imposed, date sentenced, name of more

  • Miscellaneous Records of the Supreme Court of Nisi Prius, circa 1786-1800

    These records were originally presented to the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania after the basement of the State House in Philadelphia was cleared out in 1895. These more

  • Miscellaneous Supreme and Superior Court Dockets, 1743-1749, 1876-1943

    Records of various types of cases brought before the Superior or Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania. Information provided by the entries includes names of plaintiff and defendant, more

  • Naturalization Docket, 1812-1867, bulk 1830-1855

    Images of a record of persons petitioning the Supreme Court for naturalization. Although the declarations of intent date from as early as September 12, 1812, to more

  • Naturalization Papers, 1831, 1840-1841, 1844-1856, 1862, 1867

    Images of two types of documents are contained in the file: petitions of naturalization and declarations of intention. The naturalization petitions generally contain the name, country more

  • Office of the Lieutenant Governor (PA) Board of Pardons Minutes, 1974-1999

    This collection contains applications made to, and proclamations issued by, the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons. Grouped into applications and proclamations and then arranged chronologically by date more

  • Papers in Attainder Relating to Estates Forfeited by Treason, circa 1778-1791

    Images of commencing "proclamations" written by the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth stating the names of those people accused of high treason. Those accused were more

  • Pardon Books, 1791-1877

    Images of pardons granted to persons convicted of crimes. Information generally provided is a brief case history, date of pardon, and the amount and date of more

  • Parole and Respite Books (PA) 1910-1942

    Records of paroles and respites granted by the Governor under the provisions of the Act of 1909 and subsequent acts and of paroles revoked. Information provided more

  • Parole Prisoners’ Date of Discharge Books (PA) circa 1910-1957

    Date of discharge book for paroled inmates at the Eastern State Penitentiary.  Information provided is age, race, gender, county, crime for which convicted, minimum and maximum more

  • Paroled Prisoner Statistical Book (PA) 1910-1931

    Statistical record book of inmates paroled from Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is parole number, register number, race, violations, recommitments, deaths, other prisons in which incarcerated, more

  • Perpetuation of Testimony Dockets, 1781-1801

    Perpetuation of testimony refers to the transcribing of that testimony so that it can be read as evidence in a court. Images of the entries in more

  • Physicians’ Record of Prisoners, 1889-1910

    Physician record books of prisoners incarcerated at the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is name of prisoner, prisoner number, age, race, date of examination, date more

  • Population Indexes (PA) circa 1826-1960

    Index of prisoners confined at the Western State Penitentiary.Information provided is name of inmate and the sequentially assigned inmate number. Images are grouped chronologically by volume more

  • Population Indexes (PA) circa 1900

    Indexes to the inmate population of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Information provided is name of inmate, folio number or inmate number, and address or remarks. more

  • Precepts of the Court of Admiralty, 1781-1788

    Images of writs issued to the Sheriff of Philadelphia by Court of Admiralty Justices ordering him to bring before the Court all prisoners in his jail more

  • Prison Population Records: Discharge Description Dockets, 1873-1957

    Images of discharge descriptive dockets of inmates discharged from the Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is inmate registration number, name of inmate, county where convicted, age more

  • Prisoner Registers (PA) 1910-1970

    Register of inmates sentenced to the Western State Penitentiary. Each entry provides the inmate number, inmate name, date of sentence, date of discharge, date received at more

  • Prisoners Paroled and Discharged Book (PA) 1887-1918

    Record book of inmates paroled and discharged from the Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is inmate number, name of inmate, date sentenced, calculated times for minimum more

  • Prisoners’ Record, 1889-1929

    Record books of prisoners received at the Pennsylvania Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is prisoner number, name of prisoner, any alias employed by inmate, date more

  • Reception Descriptive Book (PA) 1879-1884

    Descriptive books for prisoners received at Eastern State Penitentiary. Information provided is inmate number, name of inmate, date received, age, race, gender, county, crime for which more

  • Recognizance Papers, 1754-1823

    A recognizance is an obligation of record, which a party enters into before some court of record or magistrate, with a condition to perform some particular more

  • Record Books of Capital Cases (PA) 1894-1969

    Record book of the Board of Pardons for capital cases. Information provided is name of inmate, inmate number, county, date warrant issued, date of execution, date more

  • Record of County and Federal Prisoners (PA) 1857-1870

    Record book of county and federal inmates paroled and discharged from Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is reception number, name of inmate, date sentenced, length of more

  • Record of Maximum Sentences, 1915-1918

    Record book of maximum sentences imposed upon inmates at the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is prisoner number, name of prisoner, date sentenced, maximum sentence, more

  • Record of Men Paroled, 1890-1894, 1909-1913

    Record of men paroled from the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is registration number, name of inmate, place of residence, where employed, name and address more

  • Record of Parole Violators (PA) 1942-1954

    Minute Books of the Board of Inspectors and Board of Trustees of the Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is dates of meetings or inspections, names of more

  • Record of Special Punishments, 1889-1925, 1931

    Record of special punishments imposed upon inmates incarcerated at the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is date of entry, inmate number, name of inmate, description more

  • Reformatory Record (Weekly Prison Publication), 1890-1936

    Weekly newspaper published by the inmates of the Pennsylvania Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is date of publication, names of inmates involved in various activities, more

  • Registers of Visitors (PA) 1829-1854

    Visitor registers for the Eastern State Penitentiary. Information provided is date of visit, name of visitor and their place of residence. Images are arranged chronologically by more

  • Revolutionary War Soldiers’ Claims and Related Papers, 1786-1789

    Images of petitions for veterans' pensions submitted to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. According to the Statutes at Large for 1785, these petitions were normally filed more

  • School Attendance Record (PA) 1935-1936

    Record of inmates incarcerated at the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon who attended school. Information provided is surname of inmate, date left school and whether left school more

  • School Examination Question Book (PA) 1892-1897

    Record of school examination questions on history, grammar, arithmetic, physiology, spelling, and civil government that were used by instructors who taught in the school at the more

  • School Offense and Punishment Book (PA) 1936

    Record of offenses committed by prisoners while at the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is date of offense, prisoner number, surname of prisoner, name of more

  • Scrapbooks (PA) 1884-1893, 1908-1917, 1925-1926

    Scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, notices, photographs, and related materials concerning the Eastern State Penitentiary. Images are arranged chronologically by date of item. This collection is part more

  • Sheriff’s Deed Books and Lists of Attorneys Admitted, 1796-1876 (Lists 1742-1776, 1778-1809 only)

    Images of transcriptions of land property conveyances, originally taken in execution upon an estate or in a suit by virtue of a writ of fieri facias more

  • State Police (PA) Descriptive Books of Troopers, 1906-1939

    This collection contains records of persons employed as State troopers by the Commonwealth. Entries list the person's name, identification number, age, birthplace, race, height, hair and more

  • State Police (PA) Strike Reports, 1936-1941

    The collection, arranged chronologically by start of strike date, includes records contained in individual reports include police endorsements of special duties assigned to troops to investigate more

  • State Police (PA) Troop Reports, 1906-1930

    This collection, grouped by troop and arranged thereafter chronologically, contains semiannual reports for Troops A, B, C, and D as issued to the superintendent of the more

  • Statistical Books (PA) 1835-1852, 1871-1909, 1911-1913, 1915

    Record books containing raw statistical data on inmates incarcerated at the Eastern State Penitentiary. Information provided is inmate number, name of inmate, age category, race, gender, more

  • Time Books (PA) 1889-1950

    Time books for sentences of inmates at Eastern State Penitentiary.  Information provided is, inmate number, crime for which convicted, sentence imposed, date sentenced, number of years more

  • Time Ledger for Length of Sentences (PA) 1917-1967

    Time ledger for length of sentences of inmates paroled at Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is inmate number, minimum time to expiration of sentence, and occasionally more

  • Visitors Register (PA) 1848-1860

    Register of visitors to Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is date of visit, name of visitor, from whence visitor arrived, and destination of the visitor. Images more

  • Warden’s Daily Journals (PA) 1829-1961

    Daily journals kept by the wardens of the Eastern State Penitentiary. Information provided is daily account of activities in the facility including reception and discharge of more

  • Warden’s Daily Journals (PA) 1927-1956

    Journals kept by the warden of daily activities at the New Eastern State Penitentiary at Graterford. Information provided is date of entry, name of warden or more

  • Wardens Daily Journals (PA) 1869-1875

    Daily journals kept by the warden of the Western State Penitentiary containing descriptions of all activities and transactions in the prison. Images are arranged chronologically by more

  • Warrant of Attorney Dockets, 1795-1874

    A warrant of attorney is more specific than a letter or power of attorney, in that it is addressed to one or more attorneys authorizing them more

  • Writs of Habeas Corpus and Petitions, circa 1771-1863

    The petitions were originally made to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, requesting that he issue a writ of habeas corpus which would then allow more

  • Writs of Habeas Corpus for Black Slaves and Indentured Servants, 1784-1787

    This series was separated out from (RG-033-A-118) Writs of Habeas Corpus and Petitions, 1771-1863. The documents were filed with the Supreme Court, Eastern District, and contain more