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Florida. Board of Commissioners of State Institutions.
Title, Dates:
Convict lease program subject files, 1890-1916, bulk 1913-1915.
Amount:
4.50 cubic ft.
Medium Included:
Organization/Arrangement:
By record type.
Restrictions:
Terms Governing Use:
Biographical/Historical:
The Board of Commissioners of State Institutions, composed of the governor and members of the cabinet, supervised all matters connected with the state's institutions, including the state prison. The prison was under the direct supervision of the Commissioner of Agriculture who, with the Board's approval, appointed the Supervisor of Convicts, physicians, chaplains, guards, nurses, and watchmen. In 1868, Florida began leasing the Federal military arsenal at Chattahoochee as the state penitentiary. During Reconstruction, the state operated a dual penal system: housing some convicts in the state prison while leasing others as laborers to private businesses, such as in the railroad, cotton, and turpentine industries. The state retained full custody over the care and control of leased prisoners; emphasis at this time was on criminal reform.
In the turmoil following the Civil War, the earlier attempts at criminal reform were negated. In 1877, the Bourbon administration of Governor George Drew enacted the first convict leasing statute, which placed responsibility for convict care directly into the hands of private businesses with minimal state supervision. It was not until 1919 that state authorities revoked the convict leasing statute because of strong public pressure.
Summary:
This series contains convict lease subject files that document the state's administration of the convict leasing system. Included are reports and correspondence from the Supervisor of Convicts concerning convict camp conditions, investigations, and prisoner data. There is also correspondence from the Commissioner of Agriculture to the Governor regarding convict treatment, letters regarding litigation, camp escapees and releases, vaccinations and other health-related concerns, as well as general financial and administrative matters.
This series also contains employment applications for guards of state prisoners. The applications are arranged by the name of the lessee, usually a naval stores or timber company. Applications needed the approval of the Commissioner of Agriculture, although the lessee paid the guards' salaries. There are also prisoner punishment records that list the lessee and detail the corporal punishment administered to individual prisoners, as well as records of the provisions issued to convict forces, officers, and guards that list the daily account of food supplies issued and received at the convict camps.
Finding Aids:
Folder listing available. Alphabetical listing of lessees is available. 0
Additional Physical Form:
Reproduction Note:
Location of Originals/Duplicates:
Associated Materials:
Language Notes:
Ownership/Custodial History:
Publication Note:
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Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
Commissioner of Agriculture.
Prison administration Florida Turpentine industry and trade Florida Convict labor Florida Lumber trade Florida Naval stores.
for detailed listing.