New York State Governor Registers of Incarcerated Individuals of Convicts by Commutation of Sentences

Chronological by year of discharge, then by prison, then chronological by month, then by date of discharge.

1913-1916 records:grouped by month (e.g. all June reports for 1913-1916 are grouped together).

A0604-16: This accretion is arranged by gubernatorial administration.

Legislation of 1862 (Chapter 417) and 1874 (Chapter 451, as amended in 1879 by Chapter 373) allowed incarcerated individuals to earn commutation of part of their sentence for good conduct or labor performed. Sentences were to be reduced by specified amounts of time for each year served (e.g. two months for the first year). Legislation of 1886 (Chapter 21) expanded upon the reporting requirements of the 1862 legislation, directing prison wardens or superintendents to report to the governor each month the incarcerated individuals eligible for discharge by commutation the following month and to indicate the reasons for withholding commutation from any person if so, recommended by prison officials. The governor would then use these reports to determine which individuals would be discharged by commutation.

This series consists of the monthly reports sent to the governor from each prison indicating incarcerated individuals eligible for discharge by commutation. The governor's office bound the reports from all prisons for each year of discharge into volumes. Each monthly report from each prison provides the following information: name; county; crime; court; judge; date of sentence; date received at prison; term; commutation earned; date eligible for discharge; amount of time lost for rule violations (beginning Volume 10, 1894); and occasional remarks recommending increase or decrease in commutation.

Reports are present for the following institutions: Sing Sing Prison; Auburn Prison; Clinton Prison; New York Penitentiary (Blackwell's Island); Kings County Penitentiary (Brooklyn) (1883-1907 only); Erie County Penitentiary (Buffalo); Albany County Penitentiary (Albany); Onondaga County Penitentiary (Syracuse); Monroe County Penitentiary (Rochester); State Asylum for Insane Criminals (Auburn); State Reformatory at Elmira (for discharges in October 1883, March 1884, and 1913-1916 only); Matteawan State Hospital (Fishkill) (beginning 1893); State Prison for Women (Auburn) (beginning 1894); Dannemora State Hospital (beginning 1901); and Eastern New York Reformatory (Napanoch) (1901-1906 only).

No reports are present for 1910-1912 discharges. Reports of discharges for 1913-1916 are not bound and are grouped according to month (e.g. June reports from all prisons for all years are grouped together).

A0604-16 This accretion documents actions taken on behalf of individuals incarcerated in Great Meadow Correctional Facility.

Portions of this series are digitized and are available to New York State residents for free on Ancestry.com New York. You must sign up for a free account to access these records without a paid subscription. To learn more, go to How to Use Ancestry.com New York

A0601 Reports of Deductions of Sentences By Prison Agents, Wardens, and Superintendents, is the predecessor series to this series.

A0604-16: Container list is available at the repository.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.