Manuscript Collections

Held in Lloyd Sealy Library Special Collections Room

THOMAS COXON ACTION PAPERS (1861-1895)
These 110 letters written by Action document his career as a member (1860-63), and president (1863-69) of the Board of Police Commissioners of the City of New York.

AINSLEY C. ARMSTRONG COLLECTION (1896-1934)
These papers document the 41 year career of Ainsley Armstrong in the Boston Police Department.
Electronic finding aid is available.

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE PLANNING RECORDS
(1975-1978) (Martinson Collection)
These records document the work of a grant-funded project to study the impact of intervention on recidivism, by Robert Martinson and technical consultant Judith Wilkes.
Electronic description available.
Unpublished finding aid is available.

WILLIAM C. DODGE SCRAPBOOKS (1933-1937)
These scrapbooks created by William Copeland Dodge document his career and professional interests. Dodge was elected New York District Attorney in 1933 and was defeated by Thomas E. Dewey in 1937. Included in the collection are materials related to his campaign and clippings from all New York City newspapers that document crime in New York City at the time.

RICHARD LOUIS DUGDALE PAPERS
These documents describe the preparatory reading and circumstances which led to Dugdale’s conclusions about the relation of family history to crime and poverty. The collection consists of worksheets, tables, and correspondence. Included are the large worksheets containing raw data on over 800 individuals from which Dugdale compiled tables for his studies and the handwritten preface to an early edition of The Jukes.

ENGLISH CRIMINAL BIOGRAPHIES (1651-1722)
(Robert R. Singleton Collection)
Robert R. Singleton gathered this material from various libraries including the British Museum, the Library of Congress, and many public and university libraries for his dissertation, Defoe and Criminal Biography (John Jay Stacks PR 3408 .P6 S55 1969a). 58 volumes, some microfilm reels.
Unpublished Checklist available.

LEONHARD FELIX FULD COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF INTERNATIONAL POLICE UNIFORMS
These photos of international police uniforms likely date to the 1920s-1930s. Middle Eastern, Caribbean, South American Asian and European police uniforms are represented.

INSPECTOR ALLYN GRAY DIARIES (1942-59, 1970)
These volumes document the daily work of Allyn B.Gray, who was an inspector and later an area supervisor for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in the New York City area in the 1940s and 1950s.
Electronic finding aid available.

RICHARD ORB HANKEY PAPERS (1915-1979)
These papers document the academic career and professional interests of Richard O. Hankey. Starting as a member of the Berkeley Police Department (1939 - 44), Hankey went on to academic positions at the College of the Sequoias (1948-57), California State College at Los Angeles, 1957-71), and Linn Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon (1971-79). He also served as president of the American Society of Criminology, and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.
Unpublished finding aid available.

NORMAN BRUCE JOHNSTON COLLECTION OF PRISON PLANS
This collection of architectural plans of prisons around the world was collected by Dr. Norman Bruce Johnston, a sociologist who has studied and written about prison architecture. Dr. Johnston assembled the collection over many years, and some of the plans have been reprinted in his books.
Electronic description available.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN POLICE (IAWP)
These papers document the activities of IAWP and include minutes of annual meetings, correspondence, newsletters and publications.

LEWIS E. LAWES PAPERS (1883-1947)
These papers document the life and work of Lewis E Lawes, who was Warden of Sing Sing Prison from 1920 to 1941.
Electronic description available.
Unpublished finding aid available.

GEORGE TYLER MAIRS FINGERPRINTING COLLECTION
Compiled by Mairs who was a fingerprint examiner of the Brooklyn Magistrate’s Court, this collection contains 8x10 glass slides, charts, photographs and clippings relating to dactyloscopy and criminal identification by fingerprints.

MOLLEN COMMISSION TRANSCRIPTS AND VIDEOTAPES
These VHS videotapes and typewritten transcripts document the hearings (September-October 1993) of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Police Corruption and the Anti-Corruption Procedures of the Police Department.

NEW YORK WOMEN IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
These records document the history of this organization, including meeting minutes, publications and other files.

P.O.M.C.O.N.Y.S. (Parents of Murdered Children of New York State)
These papers document the activities and administration of POMCONYS in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

PILSBURY SCRAPBOOK (1872-1879)
One volume documents the lives and careers of Amos Pilsbury and his son Louis Dwight Pilsbury. They both served as prison guards and administrators in New Hampshire, New York and Connecticut. Amos Pilsbury was also general superintendent of the NYPD.
Electronic finding aid available.

NYPD POLICE BLOTTERS (1916-1930s)
These daybooks of personnel kept by various Manhattan precincts are useful only as examples of early NYPD recordkeeping. Blotters are not accessible by precinct or date.

FLORA RHETA SCHREIBER PAPERS (1916-1988)
These papers document the life and career of Prof. Schreiber, the author of Sybil and The Shoemaker. Schreiber taught at John Jay College for many years, was a prolific writer and correspondent, and retained all of her papers.
Unpublished finding aid available

LLOYD GEORGE SEALY PAPERS
These papers document the professional life of Lloyd Sealy who was the first black precinct sergeant in the NYPD, and later became a professor at John Jay College.

SHIBELS FAMILY PAPERS
These papers, dating to 1892-1911, mainly document the work of Fred and Edward Shibels, NYPD police detectives. Some papers pertain to other family members.

THEATRE FOR THE FORGOTTEN
Videotapes, press clippings and additional materials document the work of this organization which was formed to teach theatre to incarcerated and at-risk youth.
Unpublished list of this collection is available.

TRANSCRIPTS OF THE COURT OF GENERAL SESSIONS (1883-1927)
These 425 microfilm reels are of typewritten verbatim trial transcripts. An index of trial listed by case number with supplemental indexes of defendants, attorneys, judges and charges is available from the reference desk. Reels are also available by interlibrary loan.
Electronic description available.
Unpublished Index is available.

BURTON B. TURKUS PAPERS
The author of Murder, Inc., Turkus was an attorney and district attorney in Brooklyn. These files and scrapbooks document parts of his professional life and interests.
Electronic description and inventory of this collection is available.

JEROME WASHINGTON PAPERS
These papers consist of correspondence mainly related to the publication of Bright Spot in the Yard by Washington, which is a compilation of his writings while in prison.
Electronic finding aid available.