Inmates

Idaho State and Territorial Penitentiary Inmate Files

Updated 16 September 2008

	1864-1947 Download the catalog (free): PDF Catalog: All Inmates 1864-1947 (2.4 mb Adobe PDF) TXT Catalog: All Inmates 1864-1947 (1.4 mb tab-delimited TXT) Order the catalog in print (from October 2008): PrePublication Notice and Ordering Information 1947-c1975 Download the catalog (free): Index to Inmates 1948-c1975 (596 kb Adobe PDF)	Questions? research@ishs.idaho.gov 208-334-3356 (telephone) Request an Inmate File Download the Poster Visit the Old Idaho Penitentiary
Haven't checked the index in awhile? 1,253 previously unidentified inmates have been found since September 2007
Over 18,000 inmate files— created by the Idaho State (or Territorial) Penitentiary between 1864 and circa 1975 and now in the custody of the Historical Society as part of the public archives collection— are available for public inspection. Thanks to a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration), our staff and volunteers are working to preserve, catalog, and enhance public access to the records and photographs of over 7,500 men and women incarcerated in Idaho between circa 1870 and 1947. This work began in September 2007, and is scheduled for completion in December 2008.	Above: George Cantwell (no. 543), incarcerated in 1897 and discharged in 1901
Access See our Researcher Services page for information about how to order photocopies or photograph duplication. Access to inmate records is subject to the restrictions and privacy protections of public records law (Idaho Code § 9-335–340C, et seq). For further information regarding materials that are exempt from public disclosure under Idaho law, please contact us. Research Benefits Inmate files offer a wealth of resources, including: Inmates' aliases Crime and incarceration data City, county, and state government documents Sentencing information Occupational data for inmates and for local petitioners regarding pardons and paroles Military service documents Photographs, including mug shots, family snapshots, civilian portraits Family correspondence Business correspondence (e.g., employers, workers' unions, veterans' associations) Fact Sheets Using Idaho Inmate Files in the Classroom (PDF)