Scope and Contents June 24, 1877 letter from Aaron Benedict Mead to his mother detailing the train trip and the complete tour of the Illinois State Penitentiary in Jolietn. They visited all of the different departments including the cells, kitchen and dining hall, shoe shop, hospital, women's section and the prison grounds.

Abstract Joseph Edward Ragen was a penologist for the Illinois prison system. The collection includes papers, published and unpublished manuscripts by Ragen and other penologists, reports, correspondence, clippings, and scrapbooks containing biographical information about Ragen, as well as a wealth of information about the history of the Illinois penal system, prison administration, statistics, and education for prisoners. Ragen also acted as a consultant for several other state prison systems, and the...