Friday, January 3, 2020

Victorian female prison registers online for first time

A new online resource gives an insight into some of Melbourne's most notorious female criminals, and others jailed for offences that no longer exist.

The prison records of more than 7,000 Victorian women incarcerated between 1855 and 1934 are available to view online for the first time, thanks to the State Archives.

Black and white photos of a woman stuck to a lined page, copperplate writing

The Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) cleaned and digitised the records, which were then indexed by volunteers over an 18-month period.

PROV's Daniel Wilksch said it took careful work by the archive's conservators to prepare the records for digitisation, because they had become wet at some point and were affected by mould.

The newly digitised female prison registers are available to view online on the PROV website.




No comments: