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Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Records: Prison Service Committee (1958-1976)

 Collection — othertype: SW/Phy/790
Identifier: QM-Phy-790

Scope and Contents

Records include minutes of the Prison Service Committee of Southern New Jersey, and its predecessor, Friends Prison Service Committee (to 1968), staff records, reports, financial and personnel records, and publications/projects files.

Records of both Committees after 1968 may also be found in the records of the Meeting for Social Concerns which was established by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in 1969 to to make its structure more responsive to the problems of urban America. The Prison Service Committee (renamed the Committee on Criminal Justice) and the Prison Service Committee of Southern New Jersey were subordinated to the Meeting For Social Concerns.

Organization: The collection is divided into the following series:

  1. 1. Minutes and Agenda
  2. 2. Correspondence
  3. 3. Finance & Personnel
  4. 4. Publications & Projects
  5. 5. Miscellaneous

Dates

  • Creation: 1958-1975

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Access to Series 3, Finance & Personnel, is restricted. Please contact Curator for details.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright has not been assigned to the Repositories. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Repositories as the holder(s) of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

Biographical / Historical

In 1958, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting formed a Prison Service Committee out of a group of Quakers doing prison visiting as the Committee on Personal Work With Offenders; Mona E. Darnell was its first Chair. In 1963, a one-to-one prison visiting program was organized, involving members of monthly meetings. The Prison Service Committee of Southern New Jersey was begun in 1964/65 as a subcommittee of the original Prison Service Committee. It focused its activities on the reform of female and juvenile justice. The group developed a successful Friendly Visitors Program, staffed by volunteers, and a volunteer Probation Counselor Program. It was also involved in lobbying efforts, a Speakers Bureau, and published a newsletter, "No Bars Hold." Funding of the Prision Service Committee of Southern New Jersey was gradually phased out by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, ending in 1975/76.

Extent

6.5 linear ft. (11 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's Prison Service Committee of Southern New Jersey was organized in the mid 1960s. It focused its activities on the reform of female and juvenile justice. Members of the Committee developed a successful Friendly Visitors Program, staffed by volunteers, and a volunteer Probation Counselor Program. The Committee was also involved in lobbying efforts, maintained a speakers' bureau, and published a newsletter, "No Bars Hold." Records include minutes of the Prison Service Committee of Southern New Jersey and its predecessor, Prison Service Committee, staff records, reports, financial and personnel records, and publications/projects files.

Physical Location

This collection is stored at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Deposit, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Charles Peterson), 11/1990, 10/1991

Related Materials

The minutes and other records of the Friends Prison Service Committee and its successor, the Committee on Criminal Justice, after 1968 may be found in Series 14 of the Meeting for Social Concerns, RG2/Phy/758.

Separated Materials

Other records of the Prison Services Committee of Southern New Jersey may be found with the records of the Meeting for Social Concerns, RG2/Phy/758

Title
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Records: Prison Service Committee (1958-1976)
Date
2004
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Quaker Meeting Records at Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections and Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library