Prison Education and Racial Bias Photo Archive in Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, 1940s-80s

Prison Incarceration and Policing

Photograph

[Prison] Four press photographs showcasing the prison industrial system from the 1940s-1980s. Original Black and white silver gelatin press photographs measuring mostly 8.5" x 11". Press photographs with original news articles printed either en recto or en verso. Prisoners range in class, creed, gender, and race. One photograph from 1963 shows a high school graduation of prisoners in caps and gowns from Menard Penitentiary in Menard, IL. Other inmates were in attendance but graduating party's relatives were not permitted to attend. A 1967 photograph from the Lewisburg, PA Federal Penitentiary shows two inmate students learning from a dental technician instructor. The article en verso partly states "Criminal behavior is related to medical problems, and also to lack of vocational skills." Another photograph from the 1940s shows a smiling woman "Mrs. Gene Clarida" being released from a women's prison in Corona, California on the charge of narcotics. The article states the woman to be joined with the likes of high society, having only spent 43 days in prison and quoting her; "I had a wonderful time, I'm not really on dope now--I don't have the habit, but if they hadn't picked me up, [I] might have become a junkie--imagine." Conversely, the last photo taken in 1981, shows the smiling Aaron Owens alongside his two daughters, as he's released from San Quentin's after 8 years of serving time for a wrongful double murder conviction. Owens was formerly convicted for drug related crimes, and it is believed that his race and former drug crime related history landed him 8 years of an unjust sentence. Photographs are in very good condition with minor edge wear. An interesting archive that provides a glimpse into the oft-overlooked lives of prisoners, their education, and the racial and gender bias throughout the mid to late 20th century.

Item #20777

Price: $385.00