STILLWATER STATE PRISON:

Documentation in the files is very uneven (even when accounting for the fact that some inmates needed more medical care than others). Some files contain only the statistical and physical record chart (described above), while others contain such documents as accident reports, operation notes and charts of post-operative care, dental records, letters from the family, and letters from the prison doctors to the warden. Detailed medical records, such as electrocardiogram reports, are present in some files. Death certificates and correspondence with the family concerning burial arrangements are also found in some files. Files of female prisoners (previous to the construction of the Women's Correctional Facility in Shakopee in 1920) are found in the 1900-1920 records.

Researchers should also note that the box list notes numerous gaps and missing files, meaning that this collection is not a complete set of medical files for every prisoner at Stillwater State Prison between 1900-1972. (Some boxes are not full, in anticipation of possible future discovery of missing files).

Researchers looking for a specific individual should use the microfilmed index to inmates, 1862-1924 (SAM 245) or the inmate register indexes, 1876-1978 (cataloged separately), which provide the inmate register number (or case file number). Then the exact box where the file is located can be found by using the box/location list.

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These files are arranged in numerical order by inmate register number (or case file number) that was assigned to each inmate as he/she was admitted to Stillwater State Prison.

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Access Restrictions:

Includes private information about individuals. Records with private information are closed for 75 years from date of last entry in the record. Researchers must apply for permission to use these records. Please consult library staff for more information.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Minnesota State Prison (Stillwater, Minn.). Inmate medical case files. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 999-110

Processing Information:

Catalog ID number: 1736416

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Hospital records -- Minnesota.

Medical records -- Minnesota.

Prison hospitals -- Minnesota.

Prisoners -- Minnesota -- Registers.

Prisoners -- Death.

Prisoners -- Diseases -- Minnesota.

Prisoners -- Health and hygiene -- Minnesota.

Prisoners -- Medical care -- Minnesota.

Women prisoners -- Medical care -- Minnesota.

Document Types:

Registers.

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