Source Information
Alabama Board of Corrections. County Convict Records, 1931–1948. 13 boxes [containing bound volumes]. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama.
Alabama Department of Corrections and Institutions (1939–1953). State Convict Records, 1889–1952. 26 boxes [containing bound volumes]. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama.
About Alabama, U.S., Convict Records, 1886-1952
Anyone researching ancestors who spent time in the Alabama state prison system between 1889 and 1954 should find this database invaluable. The collection includes two series of records created by government boards responsible for the oversight and care of prisoners during that period. One set was created as convicts were admitted into a state prison; the other monitored county convicts who were admitted into the state prison system. The collection includes both indexes and the records themselves.
Entries can provide extensive details on the convict, sentencing, and time and conduct in prison. For example, you may find
- name
- alias
- serial number
- race
- gender
- age
- county where convicted
- sentence details
- date when received
- information on escapes or parole
- discharges
- date, cause, and place of death
Some entries may also provide details on occupation, physical condition, and health.
Records can be searched by name, county, birth year, race, and gender.
