New York State Board of Parole Female Inmate Case Files

Numeric by inmate number.

These are records of women paroled from the Women's Prison at Auburn. The records were originally filed in envelopes on which was listed name; number; county; crime; sentence; date received; date eligible for parole; date maximum sentence expires; date paroled; date declared delinquent; date returned; date and result of Parole Board appearance; and date of discharge. This data was retained when contents of envelopes were transferred to archival file folders.

Files include several types of records as follows: data sheets used at Parole Board meetings giving county, judge, date of sentence, crime, sentence, jail time, compensation (time) earned, report (statement) of district attorney, applicant's statement, age, address, occupation, religion, domestic relations, habits, grade reached, facts on husband, parole custodian, aliases, criminal act, and criminal history; physical and mental condition summaries giving information on inmate's father and mother, previous addresses, physical and mental condition, classification, causative factors of delinquency, capacities, outlook, and signature of prison physician; signed statement of matron or attendant in charge giving opinion on inmate's behavior and ability to keep parole; criminal history giving aliases, criminal act, past convictions, and signatures of Bertillon Clerk; Application for Parole giving date received, county, crime, sentence, age, date term expires, trade, prison work, where would go if paroled, if could read and write, if offered employment, and references.

Files also include prisoner's preliminary statement giving date received, terms in other institutions, judge, district attorney, prisoner's address, age, if married, children, if parents are living, brothers and sisters, temperate or intemperate, if other family members had ever been arrested, family mental history, age at first arrest, present crime, others implicated, time lived in state, and references; statement of warden giving personal data on inmate, habits, marital status, employment, delinquencies, and warden's signature; statement of chaplain giving home conditions, cause of downfall, religion, if attended, attitude, if patronizes library, if reads books or magazines, attitude toward society, future plans, relatives and friends willing to give aid, recommendation, and chaplain's signature; school report giving previous education, length of time in prison school, application to the work, conduct, general observation, and signature of teacher; grant of parole giving term, expiration, date of release, custodian, and rules; Board of Parole information with a mug shot and giving aliases, date received, term, crime, county, residence, nativity, year born, weight, build, color, complexion, eyes, hair, occupation, Bertillon measurements, and scars and marks; parolee's monthly employment statement giving employer, days worked, wages, money from other sources, money spent, nature of work, remarks, address, and signature and remarks of parole custodians.

Files also include Arrival Notice giving date and time parolee arrived at destination and reported to parole custodian, and address and signature of custodian; notice that inmate has applied for parole, giving county, sentence, judge, and warden's signature; reply from references as to inmate's character and whether she should be paroled; reports on Parole Board appearances giving date received, crime, sentence, District Attorney's report (statement), applicant's statement, personal data, custodian, and comments; and correspondence between prison officials, custodians, parolees, and friends and family of parolees, regarding application for or conditions of parole.

This series has been digitized in its entirety, but is not currently available in the State Archives online Digital Collections. Digital version is considered first use copy and is available for use onsite or by request.

The index to series B0050 contains 74 entries. Each entry includes the incarcerated individual's name, consecutive number, and release date and provides a reference to the location of the file within the record series.

Summary information on adult inmates is disclosable under law. State Archives staff will review records containing probation, parole, medical, and juvenile criminal history data and disclose information pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law and Personal Privacy Protection Law. The identity of victims of sex crimes is not disclosable. Unless a specific law forbids disclosure indefinitely, all records must be disclosed after 75 years.