overall: .5 cm x 17 cm x 8.4 cm; 3/16 in x 6 11/16 in x 3 5/16 in
Object Name:
punch cards, group of
Date made:
1934
Description:
These tan 24-column punch cards have fields for Inst., State, Sheet no., Line no., Ad., Offense, Def. or Min., Maximum, Prev. Com., Sex, Mar. cond., Age, and Race and C of B. These fields are quite possibly institution, state, sheet number, line number, offense, minimum sentence, maximum sentence, previous commitments, sex, marital condition, age, and race and country of birth. Each card is marked: PA. Each card also is marked on the right edge: PRISONERS: 1934 (/) CENSUS BUREAU.
Between 1926 and 1946, the United States Bureau of the Census collected and compiled yearly statistics on prisoners at state and federal prisons in the United States. This data analysis would be continued by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. These cards were part of that effort.
Reference:
Margaret Cahalan and Lee Parsons, <I>Historical Corrections Statistice in the U.S. 1850-1984</I>, Rockville, Md.: Westat, Inc., 1986, pp. 4-6.