Prison Records

Prison Records in the United States

Prison Records in New York

The (New York) State Archives holds numerous inmate registers, cards, and case files from several (New York) State correctional facilities. (Most of the record series are incomplete, and only a sample of post-1956 case files is being preserved.) Basic personal information (including information on adult convictions and incarcerations) is available without restriction. However, probation, parole, and medical data is restricted by Department of Correctional Services regulations. Access to prison and reformatory records is difficult because there are almost no indexes to the records. Archives staff will search for a specific inmate record only if sufficient information is provided (such as place and dates of incarceration and/or institutional identification number) to locate the record. Descriptions of these records is available in Guide to Records of the (New York) Department of Correctional Services.

The institutions and date spans of correctional facility case registers or cards available for use at the (New York) State Archives are as follows:

New York Prisons

  • State Prison of the City of New York (“Newgate”) (1797-1810)
  • Auburn Prison (1817-1970)
  • Clinton Prison (at Dannemora) (1846-1964)
  • Sing Sing Prison (at Ossining) (1865-1971)
  • State Prison for Women at Auburn (1893-1933)
  • Westfield State Farm [for Women] (1933-52)
  • Fishkill Correctional Facility (1949-77)

New York Reformatories

  • New York House of Refuge (at New York City) (1824-1935) (case records on microfilm)
  • Western House of Refuge (at Rochester), later State Agricultural & Industrial School (at Industry) (1849-1960) (case records on microfilm)
  • New York State Reformatory (at Elmira), later Elmira Reformatory (1877-1957)
  • Western House of Refuge for Women (at Albion), later Albion State Training School (1894- 1948)
  • Eastern New York Reformatory (at Naponoch) (1900-1909)

Source: Records Relating to Criminal Trials, Appeals, and Pardons, New York State Archives

See Also

Court of Chancery
Courts of Appeals
New York Criminal Courts
National Archives and Records
Office of Records Services, Washington
Using public records
New York Initial Appeals in Criminal Cases
New York Final Appeals in Criminal Cases
Courts Of Special Jurisdiction
New York State Bar CLE Publications
Courts Of Record
List of US Courts
Criminal Court
Intermediary Appellate Courts
Stages of a Criminal Case
District Courts
Executive Office for Immigration Review
Executive Immunity meaning
Executive Order


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