Series III. Board of Directors (State Prison Board), 1874-1877, 1881-1942.

Containers:

Box 385-390 and Oversize Box 2., Volume 128-142.

Extent:

Extent: 3.80 cubic feet of records and 15 volumes.

Scope and content:

The Board of Directors series is housed in six (6) boxes and contains 15 volumes and is arranged into three (3) subseries. Subseries have been designated for: A. Minutes; B. Correspondence and Reports; and C. Annual Reports. The Virginia Board of Directors controlled and governed the Virginia Penitentiary, State Farm and other branch prisons. The five directors (three prior to the 1902 Constitution) were appointed by the Governor. In 1942 the Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Department of Corrections, consolidating the administration and regulation of all penal and correctional intuitions under one agency lead by the Commissioner of Corrections. This new department was overseen by a five member Board of Corrections. Corrections departments were merged into the Department of Welfare and Institutions by a government reorganization act passed by the General Assembly in 1948. In 1974 the Department of Welfare and Institutions was abolished and a new Department of Corrections was created. This series documents the activities of the Virginia State Prison Board.

Access and use

Contents