The Joliet, Illinois Prison Convict Register
The Joliet Correctional Center is the oldest of Illinois' four maximum security facilities. Thirty-three inmates were first received at Joliet in May 1858. Joliet Correctional Center was built partly due to the overcrowding of the prison at Alton the state s first prison, which closed in 1860. In December 1872, Joliet had an inmate population of 1,239 making it the largest prison in the United States, a distinction it held for several decades. Joliet s role as a maximum security facility has changed and evolved over the years, resulting in the modern facility that exits today.
The Illinois State Archives holds the REGISTERS OF PRISONERS 243.200 in their possession. You can request copies of this register by writing to the State Archives. Be sure to include the section of the Archive descriptive holdings that contains the record you are looking for. We would appreciate donations of this material, should you write and request copies. (Just a note: those at the state archives have been extremely helpful, courteous and prompt with all the questions and requests I have sent in the past. Since instituting their online submission record request form, I'm sure they are very busy. Please be patient...they WILL get to your request.)
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