OHY_Mss1495 Guide to the Oregon Prison Association Records circa 1913-1960 Oregon Prison Association Records Oregon Historical Society, Research Library ©2003

Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

 Encoded by ArchProteus September 2003 Finding aid is in English Finding aid based on DACS 2nd edition ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard). 2015 Revised to reflect updates to best practices. Oregon Historical Society, Davies Family Research Library Mss 1495 Oregon Prison Association Oregon Prison Association Records circa 1913-1960 1945-1960 11 cubic feet (11 records cartons) Records of an Oregon organization devoted to prison reform, aid to prisoners, and research on the causes and prevention of crime. Founded in 1903 as Oregon Prisoner's Aid Society, the name was changed to the Oregon Prison Association in 1929. Most of the records date from 1945 to 1960 and include correspondence and subject files. Files on individual Oregon counties include photographs of interiors and exteriors of county jails taken in the 1940s and 1950s. The collection is in English Historical Note

Originally organized in 1903 as the Oregon Prisoner's Aid Society, the organization's objectives were, first of all, "to awaken and enlist public sympathy in behalf of the worthy ex-prisoner." Also included was the desire to find employment for ex-prisoners, to promote prison improvement, to organize the efforts of local prisoners' aid societies, to influence prisoner-related legislation, and to disseminate information on prison issues. In 1929 the name was changed to the Oregon Prison Association. Among the Association's early accomplishments were the abolition of torture-like punishments, the promotion of a juvenile court system, the creation of the Probation Commission in 1931, and the establishment of the Western Parole and Probation Association. Among those associated with the organization was its long-time superintendent, Rev. W. G. Maclaren, who served from 1911 to 1938.

By the 1940s the Association's focus had shifted to the study of the causes of crime and its prevention through community programs. Its new constitution, adopted in 1945, had as its objectives such things as research, dissemination of information, encouraging the improvement of parole and probation regulations, the provision of guidance to families of prisoners, and serving as a conduit for charitable funds directed to prison-related activities. By the 1950s the organization had instituted a program for visiting jails and correctional institutions throughout Oregon in order to conduct inspections and to make recommendations on improving facilities. Of special concern were issues relating to juveniles. In general, the Association stressed prevention rather than punishment and advocated the abolition of the death penalty. It attracted the attention of many prominent Oregonians who served on its board, including Senators Wayne Morse (in the late 1940s) and Monroe Sweetland (late 1950s). Tom McCall, future governor, was the organization's president from 1951 to 1953.

By the end of the 1950s a number of problems had arisen in the relations between the staff and the board of the organization. Apparently the Association ceased to function after 1960.

Most of the records date from 1945 to 1960, although there are scattered items from earlier years. Aside from organizational records, the collection consists largely of subject and correspondence files on issues relating to prisons, criminal justice, and juvenile delinquency. Of special note is a series titled "Counties: correspondence and dispositions," which contains files, 1944-1959, on jails and penitentiaries throughout Oregon, including photographs of jail interiors and exteriors.

The collection is arranged into the following series

Series I: Organizational records, 1913-1960 Series II: Counties, correspondence and dispositions, 1944-1959 Series III: General correspondence and subject files, 1919-1960

The collection is open to the public.

The collection is stored off-site. Researchers must contact the repository a minimum of one week in advance of use. Arrangements can be made by calling 503-306-5241 or sending email to libreference@ohs.org.

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Oregon Prison Association, records, Mss 1495. Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Gift of the Oregon Prison Association.

The Oregon Historical Society holds one box of additions, including minutes of the organization from 1920 to 1931, which will be processed as part of the collection in the future. Also held are three boxes of partially processed additions listed as Mss 1495-1.

The collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings:

McCall, Tom, 1913- . Oregon Prison Association Oregon—History—1859- Charities—Oregon—Hitory Crime prevention—Oregon—History. Jails—Oregon—History. Jails—Oregon—Photographs. Juvenile corrections—Oregon—History. Juvenile delinquency—Oregon—History. Prisons—Law and legislation—Oregon. Prisons—Missions and charities—Oregon. City and Town Life Public Works Photographs Correspondence—Oregon—20th century Photographs—Oregon—20th century Contents List Series I Organizational records 1913-1960 4 boxes (4 cubic feet).

Included are several constitutions and sets of bylaws, and minutes of general and committee meetings from 1945 to 1960. Minutes of earlier meetings will be processed at a future date.

 1/1-2 Constitution and By-Laws 1/3 Constitution and By-Laws—Correspondence and History 1/4-22 Board Meeting Minutes 1926-1960 2/1-16 Annual Meetings (including minutes and correspondence) 1945-1959 2/17-24 Public Meetings (including minutes and correspondence) 1951-1958 Committees (including minutes and correspondence) 1946-1958 2/25 Committee Assignments 1957-1958 2/26 Committee Information 1957-1958 2/27 Report of Special Committee of the Community Chest 1942 2/28 Crime Prevention 1946-1958 2/29 Executive 1951-1959 2/30 Institutional 1946-1958 2/31 Legislative 1946-1958 2/32 Medical Advisory 1956-1958 2/33 Membership 1945-1957 2/34 Nominating 1949-1959 2/35 Public Meetings 1958 2/36 Public Relations 1950-1956 2/37 Review 1946-1951 2/38 Staff Personnel Committee 1946-1955 2/39-46 Board of Directors (correspondence) 1946-1958 Membership lists 3/1 Membership 1946-1951 3/2 Membership 1951-1957 3/3 Membership 1958-1960 3/4 Membership correspondence 1956-1959 3/5 Personnel correspondence 1942-1956 3/6 Annual reports 1946-1953 3/7 Budget correspondence 1946-1956 3/8 Community Chest and City Council study of the Oregon Prison Association 1941-1945 3/9 Special matters before the board of directors 1956 3/10 Mailings 1957-1958 3/11 President: Paul B. Bender 1958-1959 3/12 Programs 1946-1958 3/13 Publicity 1946 3/14 General file 1945-1958 4/1-29 Financial Reports, Audit Reports, Budgets 1913-1960 Series II Counties—Correspondence and Dispositions 1944-1959 3 boxes (3 cubic feet)

This series contains files on individual counties throughout Oregon and includes statistics relating to the jail and prison populations and crime. Of special note are photographs of county jails, both interior and exterior, mostly dating from the late 1940s. Some files contain floor plans of jails. The files are arranged alphabetically by county name.

 5/1-35 Baker - Klamath 6/1-18 Klamath - Multnomah 7/1-23 Multnomah - Yamhill 7/24 General Statistics Series III General correspondence and subject files 1919-1960 4 boxes (4 cubic feet)

Arranged alphabetically by subject or title, the series contains both correspondence and secondary materials used in research. Most of the files date from 1945 to 1960.

 8/1 American Civil Liberties Union 1956 8/2-4 American Congress of Correction 1954-1957 8/5 American Correctional Association 1945-1953 8/6 American Friends Service Committee 1951-1957 8/7 Blue Gross 1954 8/8 Board of Control, Oregon State 1952-1957 8/9 Canadian Congress of Correction 8/10-11 Capital Punishment 1946-1949, 1957 8/12 Central Volunteer Group 1958 8/13 Child Caring Agency (conference minutes) 1956 8/14 Child Protective Association 1952-1956 8/15 Coordinating Council of Oregon (Social Hygiene) 1953-1958 8/16 Correspondence Course for Jailers 1956-1957 8/17 National Conference of Christians and Jews Inc. 1947-1957 8/18 National Committee on Children and Youth 1947-1948 8/19 Community Council 1959-1960 8/20 Community Group 1949-1959 8/21 Community Resources 1953-1959 8/22 Convicts, Registration of 1948 8/23 Correctional Institutions—External to Oregon; General 1946-1956 8/24-25 Council of Social Agencies 1948-1954 8/26 Council of Social Agencies—Protective Services Committee 1951-1953 8/27 Council of State Governments 1958 8/28 County Jails 1959 8/29 Crime 1944-1956 8/30 Eagles Brood 1947 8/31-32 Employment 1949-1955 8/33 Family Counseling Service 1945-1958 8/34 Family Life, education 1948-1956 8/35 FBI 1946-1959 8/36 Fellowship of Reconciliation 1945-1953 8/37 Fund Raising 1959 8/38 Habitual Criminal Law 1958-1959 8/39 National Health and Welfare Retirement 1959-1960 8/40 Governor's File—Holmes 1957-1958 8/41 Housing 1950 8/42 John Howard Association 1946-1953 8/43 Indeterminate Sentence Law 1945-1953 8/44 Intermediate Institution Commission 1952-1954 8/45 Intermediate Institution Correspondence 1954-1957 8/46-47 Intermediate Institution Literature 1953-1955 8/48 International Film Bureau 1958 8/49 National Jail Association 1957-1959 9/1 Jail Institute 11/1955-3/1956 9/2 Jails, City 9/3 Joint Legislative Council of Oregon 1947-1958 9/4 Joint Meeting with Sheriffs and D.A.S 1959 Juvenile Delinquency 9/5 Child labor laws 1954 9/6 Children in Jail 1948-1959 9/7-8 Why Children go to Jail 1949-1958 9/9 City and County Commission 1958 9/10 Counselors, Qualifications of, etc. 1955-1957 9/11 Federal Legislation 1958 9/12 Hillcrest 1945-1959 9/13 Homes and Detention Facilities 1948-1950 9/14 Interstate Compact on 1957 9/15 MacLaren 1957 9/16-17 Oregon Juvenile Council 1946-1959 9/18 Oregon 1953 9/19 General Correspondence 1946-1954 9/20 O.P.A. Correspondence 1946-1959 9/21 Oregon Training Schools 1947-1948 9/22 Remand Cases 1952-1953 9/23 Snell, Gov. Committee on 1946 9/24 Mayor's Council on 1948 9/25 State Training Schools—exterior to Oregon 1946-51 9/26 Statistics 1954-1957 9/27-28 Youth Authority 1945-1951 10/1 Law Enforcement Agency 1947-1956 10/2 Legal Questions 1954-1956 10/3 Legislative Bills—46th Session 1951 10/4 Legislative Intermediate Committee on Jails 1945-1947 10/5-7 Lemley, talks by 1959-1960 Mental Health 10/8 Governor's Institute on 1954 10/9 National Foundation of 1946-1947 10/10 Association 1945-1954 10/11 State Hospital 1951-1956 10/12 Multnomah County Jail 1952-1959 10/13-14 Oregon Chest—Correspondence 1947-1958 10/15 Oregon Child Welfare Survey 1949 10/16 Oregon Juvenile Judges Association 1958 10/17 Oregon Reclamation Project 1951 10/18 Oregon State Bar 1956 10/19 Oregon State Jail Survey 4-6/1946 10/20 Oregon State Conference on Social Welfare 1946-1959 Oregon State Correctional Institute 10/21 Legislation re: 1959 10/22 Correspondence 1952-1959 10/23 Oregon State Police 1959 Oregon State Penitentiary 10/24 Cook, Florence Reed 1954-1956 10/25 Institution Personnel 1953-1955 10/26 O'Malley 1953 10/27 Prison Riot 1953 10/28 Rules and Regulations 1956 10/29 Segregation Unit L954 10/30 Ward 38 1950-1953 10/31-34 Correspondence 1939-1952 10/35 Pacific Protective Society 1937-1945 10/36 PAL Inc. 1946-1948 10/37 Parole, Survey of, by H.J. Croes 1944 10/38 Parole and Probation 1939-1954 11/1 Personnel; Recommendations 1951-1958 11/2 Police, general 11/3 Portland City Jail 1944-1952 11/4 Portland City Jail Farm 11/5 Portland Community Chest 1948-1952 11/6 Portland Council of Social Agencies 1945 11/7 Portland Police 1946-1949 11/8 Prison Labor 1947-1957 11/9 Prison Program 1949-1956 11/10 Prison Riots 11/11 Prison "Sit-down" Strike 1953 11/12 Prisoner's Aid Associations 1943-1958 11/13 National Probation and Parole Association 1945-1956 11/14 Project of Outsiders Involved Agency Information 1958-1960 11/15 Public Defenders 1953-1959 11/16 Red Feather Facts 1947-1948 11/17 Senate Intermediate Committee on Correctional Institutions 1949 11/18 Sex Offender Bills 1953 11/19 National Association of Social Workers 1956 11/20 Salvation Army 1949 11/21 Special Committee of Attorneys 1956 11/22-24 State Probation Commission 1931-1938 11/25 State Training Schools—Advisory Committee 1/1952 States 11/26 California—San Quentin—Warden Duffy 1950 11/27 California 1945-1956 11/28 Hawaii 1955-1956 11/29 Illinois 1945-1955 11/30 Massachusetts (Dr. VanWaters) 1945-1952 11/31 Mississippi 1945-1948 11/32 Missouri 1945-1950 11/33 Nebraska—Boys Town 1946-1948 11/34 New York 1945 11/35 Pennsylvania 1945 11/36 Washington 1943-1956 11/37 Statistics 1944-1950 Student Reports 11/38 Frazier Home 11/39 Institutions 11/40 Rocky Butte 11/41 T.V. Project 1959 11/42 Unfair Sentences 1954 United Fund 11/43 Correspondence 1950-1959 11/44-45 Documents 1950's 11/46 Urban League 1945-1950 11/47 Volunteer Services, Lay Participation 1958-1959 11/48 Western Parole Association 1936-1942 11/49 General File 1919-1930