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Courts and Criminal Justice – Prison Records
The administration of gaols and penal institutions in the nineteenth century
Prior to 1871 penal institutions and gaols were separately
administered by officers located within the Chief Secretary's Department (VA
475). In 1871 under the provisions of the Statute of Gaols Amendment Act
1871, the Inspector-General of Penal Establishments assumed responsibility for
the administration of gaols, and a Penal and Gaols Branch (VA
1464) was established within the Chief Secretary's Department. The branch
was responsible for the management of Victorian gaols and penal institutions and
the control and supervision of the adults and minors who were detained.
The earliest penal institutions were almost entirely
punitive in emphasis, while gaols were used for the detention of prisoners not
sentenced to hard labour, such as debtors, lunatics, the old, the destitute and
children who had been convicted of vagrancy. For more information about
records concerning the administration of prisons, probation and parole, and for
records of individual institutions see VRG
9 Prisons and Youth Training Centres and VRG
93 Corrections on PROV's online catalogue at www.access.prov.vic.gov.au.
Records relating to gaols and penal institutions: a select list
Victorian prisons were required to submit information about
the prisoners in their custody to the Penal and Gaols Branch (VA
1464) of the Chief Secretary's Department. There was no state-wide centralised
registration of prisoners until 1985. In the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries it was common practice for a prisoner to be moved directly from the
court where the trial was held to a local prison, such as Beechworth. If
the trial took place outside the Melbourne area researchers are advised to
consult the records of local prisons. For records of individual
institutions see VRG
9 Prisons and Youth Training Centres on PROV's online catalogue.
From around 1860 Pentridge became the central prison for the
Melbourne area, and registers were kept for both male and female prisoners who
passed through Pentridge. These prisoners were registered in VPRS
515 Central Register of Male Prisoners [1850 - 1948] and VPRS
516 Central Register of Female Prisoners [1857 - 1948]. Please note
that these registers only contain details of prisoners that passed through
Pentridge and were not state-wide central registers. Unless a prisoner
passed through Pentridge it is unlikely that there will be a reference to them
in VPRS 515 and VPRS 516.
These registers are arranged in prisoner registration number
order. Subsequent entries were added under the prisoner’s original
registration number. Some entries span long periods of time, and include details
about the prisoner’s behaviour while incarcerated. The registers give the
prisoner's name, date of birth, country of origin, occupation and physical
description, as well as the reason for conviction, sentence and the dates
served. In the earlier volumes entries under ‘previous history’
often include the name of the ship on which the prisoner arrived in Australia
if they were not born in Australia.
Both series are subject to access closures under sections 9
and 11 of the Public Records Act 1973. Section 9 closures are
progressively opened as the closure period expires. Some volumes are
closed under section 11 due to the fragility of the records. See the
Online Records section below for information about digitised volumes of VPRS
515 Central Register of Male Prisoners.
The portion of VPRS 516 Central Register of Female Prisoners
that is not closed under section 9 can be accessed on microfiche in PROV
Reading Rooms without having to be ordered. Please note: the microfiche
copy of this series was formerly registered as VPRS 8622 and is now registered
as VPRS 516/P1. See PROV's guides to Microfilm,
Microfiche and Online Resources at the Victorian Archives Centre, and Microfilm,
Microfiche and Online Resources at the Ballarat Archives Centre for more
information about accessing records on microfilm and microfiche.
Online Records
The following records have been digitised and can be
accessed online:
VPRS
515 Central Register of Male Prisoners [1850 – 1948] [selected volumes
only]
This series is indexed by VPRS 10867/P0 Alphabetical Index to Central Register
of Male Prisoners, 1868-1947.
VPRS 516 Central Register of Female Prisoners (referred to
above, and accessible on microfiche in PROV Reading Rooms) is indexed by VPRS
10879/P0 Alphabetical Index to Central Register of Female Prisoners [1857-1948].
Privacy and Access to Records
To protect the privacy of the subjects of files, many
records of prisons, the courts and the police are closed from time of creation
for 75 years for adults and 99 years for children under section 9 of the Public
Records Act 1973.
Prisons
To enquire about accessing prison records that are closed
under section 9 contact:
Freedom of Information Officer
Department of Justice
GPO Box 4356
Melbourne VIC 3001
Tel: (03) 8684 0000 (ask for Freedom of Information)
Tel: 1300 365 111 (tollfree in Australia - ask for Freedom
of Information)
Web: www.justice.vic.gov.au
(Go to: Your Rights, then Freedom of Information)
Courts
To enquire about accessing court records which are closed
under section 9 contact the court where the hearing took place. If it is a
magistrates court (including a court of petty sessions) that has been closed, contact
the Melbourne Magistrates Court.
Web: www.justice.vic.gov.au
(Go to: Courts)
Police
To enquire about accessing records created by Victoria
Police which are closed under section 9 contact:
Freedom of Information
Victoria Police
GPO Box 415
Melbourne VIC 3005
Tel: (03) 9247 6666 (ask for Freedom of Information)
Web: www.police.vic.gov.au
(Go to: Our Services, then Freedom of Information)