Title:
Statistical record ledgers
Description:
The Texas Department of Corrections and its predecessors recorded a variety of statistics on convicts in the prison system in these nine ledgers, dating from 1883 to 1969. Each ledger is divided into five sections: Counties of conviction, Classification, Nativity, Occupation, and Miscellaneous statistics.
Description:
Counties of conviction lists the number of inmates received each month from each county in Texas; Classification lists the number of inmates received each month, further classified by the crime committed (arson, burglary, robbery, murder, etc.); Nativity lists the number of inmates received each month by state or country of origin; Occupation lists the number of inmates received each month further classified by their occupation (laborer, lawyer, architect, cook, etc.); Miscellaneous statistics: lists the numbers of inmates received each month further classified by the following categories: Terms of imprisonment (less than one year, etc.); Short term (less than 1 to 14 years); Black ball men (15-59 years); Red ball men (60 years to life); Race (White, Negro, Mexican); Conjugal condition (married, single, widowed, divorced); Education (fair to good, common, illiterate); Habits (temperate, intemperate); Use of tobacco (users, non-users); Sex (male, female); Terms (1st, 2nd, 3rd and up); Age (under 15, 15-20, etc.); and Religion (Methodist, Baptist, Christian, Hebrew, etc.) (only listed in later ledgers). Within each of the five sections are additional fields of information that differ in each section. Lists of most of the terms used in the section Occupation and in several of the categories of the Miscellaneous Statistics section are listed in the Categories of information found in the convict record ledgers and statistical record ledgers section of this finding aid (e.g., bakers or laborers as types of occupations).
Description:
Within each major section (Counties of conviction, Classification, Nativity, and Occupation), the data is further divided into the following categories: New received (number of new convicts received); Recaptured; Discharged; Pardoned; Escaped; Died; Transferred between Huntsville and Rusk (only listed in the earliest ledgers); and Number of convicts on hand (only listed in the earliest ledgers).
Description:
The later ledgers also contain the additional categories for each section: Returned by sheriffs; Furlough violators returned; Parole violators returned; Returned from parole voluntarily; Delivered to sheriffs; Paroled; Furloughed; Full pardon; and Conditional pardon.
Description:
Each section of the ledgers contains several years' worth of data (1883-1892 for example) for the first category (new received), then the same years' worth of data for the next category (recaptured), etc.
Description:
There are two sets of ledgers. The first set consists of six ledgers of sheets printed with all the categories of each section. This first set dates from 1883 to 1954. The next set consists of three volumes, containing printed sheets listing the section heads (Counties of Conviction, Classification, Nativity, Occupation, Miscellaneous Statistics), but not the categories (Discharged, escaped, pardoned, etc.). These categories are penciled on the top of the page in these volumes, often in the form of abbreviations. It appears that not all categories were being used during the period, which dates from 1955 to 1969.
Description:
Another source for statistical data on the prison system is the series Biennial statistics, which provides similar statistics to this series and also includes details of diseases the convicts contracted. Additionally, some of these statistics were reported in the monthly reports of the superintendent to the governor, see the finding aid Texas Penitentiary Board reports and outgoing letters, series Monthly reports.
Description:
Information of this sort for the individual convicts (occupation, nativity, sex, race, term of imprisonment, education, habits, etc.), can be found in two other series. The most comprehensive set of records on the individual convicts is the series Convict record ledgers. Another series which contains several different but related ledgers with some of this type of data on the convicts is the series Miscellaneous convict ledgers.
Collection:
Texas Department of Corrections convict records
Creator:
Texas. Department of Corrections
Date range of creation:
1883 to 1969
Citation information:
(Identify the item), Statistical record ledgers, Texas Department of Corrections convict records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Arrangement:
Entries in the ledgers are arranged chronologically within each section.
Copyright information:
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Size or duration:
6.4 cubic ft.
TARO URL:
https://txarchives.org/tslac/finding_aids/20120.xml