|
|
TABLE OF CONTENTSScope and Contents of the Records House of Representatives Committee to Investigate State Reformatory Institutions reports, 1937, |
Texas Legislature, House of Representatives:An Inventory of House of Representatives Committee to Investigate State Reformatory Institutions Reports at the Texas State Archives, 1937
Agency HistoryThe Texas House of Representatives Committee to Investigate State Reformatory Institutions was created on April 9, 1937 (45th Texas Legislature, Regular Session) by a resolution which provided for a committee of three to investigate the Gatesville School for Boys and recommend improvements to the institution. An amendment introduced the same day expanded the charge to include an investigation of the Gainesville School of Correction for Girls. On April 13, the Speaker of the House appointed the committee membership. Two weeks later, a report on the Gatesville facility was submitted, outlining existing conditions and offering ten recommendations for improvement. These included open trials for young offenders, segregation of blacks, transfer of neglected or orphaned children to a more suitable institution, transfer of the feeble-minded to a state-funded hospital, and better record keeping practices. On May 7, the committee presented a report on the Gainesville school that praised every aspect of the facility, its management, and the conduct of the girls. The only recommendation was to transfer dependent and neglected and orphaned girls to a more appropriate institution. (Sources include: the guide survey completed for this material.) Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Contents of the RecordsThe Texas House of Representatives Committee to Investigate State Reformatory Institutions was created during the 45th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, to investigate the Gatesville School for Boys and the Gainesville School of Correction for Girls and to recommend improvements to those institutions. Records of the committee consist of separate reports for each school, dated 1937, that offer recommendations for improvements in the categorization and administration of the children committed to those schools. The report on the Gatesville facility outlines existing conditions and offers ten recommendations for improvement. These include open trials for young offenders, segregation of blacks, transfer of neglected or orphaned children to a more suitable institution, transfer of the feeble-minded to a state-funded hospital, and better record keeping practices. The Gainesville school report praises every aspect of the facility, its management, and the conduct of the girls. The only recommendation was to transfer dependent and neglected and orphaned girls to a more appropriate institution. To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsRestrictions on AccessMaterials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members. Restrictions on UseMost records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.). Technical RequirementsNone. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents Related Material
Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPreferred Citation(Identify the item), Texas House of Representatives Committee to Investigate State Reformatory Institutions reports. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Accession InformationAccession number: 1982/322 These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Secretary of State on May 23, 1940. Processing InformationGuide survey information compiled by Michael Green, August 1982 Finding aid encoded in EAD Version 2002 as part of the TARO project by Rebecca Romanchuk, May 2012 Return to the Table of Contents Detailed Description of the Records
Return to the Table of Contents |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||