Search Help

How does this work?
There are many ways to search the collections of the Freedom Archives. Below is a brief guide that will help you conduct effective searches. Note, anytime you search for anything in the Freedom Archives, the first results that appear will be our digitized items. Information for items that have yet to be scanned or yet to be digitized can still be viewed, but only by clicking on the show link that will display the hidden (non-digitized) items. If you are interested in accessing these non-digitized materials, please email info@freedomarchives.org.
Exploring the Collections without the Search Bar
Under the heading Browse By Collection, you’ll notice most of the Freedom Archives’ major collections. These collections have an image as well as a short description of what you’ll find in that collection. Click on that image to instantly explore that specific collection.
Basic Searching
You can always type what you’re looking for into the search bar. Certain searches may generate hundreds of results, so sometimes it will help to use quotation marks to help narrow down your results. For instance, searching for the phrase Black Liberation will generate all of our holdings that contain the words Black and Liberation, while searching for “Black Liberation” (in quotation marks) will only generate our records that have those two words next to each other.
Advanced Searching
The Freedom Archives search site also understands Boolean search logic, specifcally AND/+, NOT/-, and OR operators. Click on this link for a brief tutorial on how to use Boolean search logic. Our search function also understands “fuzzy searches.” Fuzzy searches utilize the (*) and will find matches even when users misspell words or enter in only partial words for the search. For example, searching for liber* will produce results for liberation/liberate/liberates/etc.
Keyword Searches
You’ll notice that under the heading KEYWORDS, there are a number of words, phrases or names that describe content. Sometimes these are also called “tags.” Clicking on these words is essentially the same as conducting a basic search.
Welcome to the Freedom Archives' Digital Search Engine.The Freedom Archives contains over 12,000 hours of audio and video recordings which date from the late-1960s to the mid-90s and chronicle the progressive history of the Bay Area, the United States, and international movements. We are also in the process of scanning and uploading thousands of historical documents which enrich our media holdings. Our collection includes weekly news, poetry, music programs; in-depth interviews and reports on social and cultural issues; numerous voices from behind prison walls; diverse activists; and pamphlets, journals and other materials from many radical organizations and movements.

Prison - General Information

This collection contains materials that relate to life inside of America's prisons. This collection has a wide scope and includes coverage of topics such as medical and mental health care in prison, violence, labor and general information and statistics. There are also materials focusing on youth behind bars, private prisons and the role that race and class plays in mass incarceration. 

Subcollections

  • Death Penalty
    Death Penalty
    This collection contains materials related to the morality of the death penalty and its effectiveness as a method of punishment.
  • Prison - Conditions
    Prison - Conditions
    This collection contains audio and paper documents detailing various aspects of living conditions inside of US prisons.
  • Prison - Labor
    Prison - Labor
    This collection contains materials related to prison labor, the prison industrial complex and the growing links between corporations and incarceration.
  • Prison - Statistics
    Prison - Statistics
    This collection contains historical background, statistics and organizing information focused on the US prison population.
  • Prison - Violence
    Prison - Violence
    This collection contains materials relating to the barbaric, state sanctioned violence that occurs in prisons across the United States.
  • Prison - Youth
    Prison - Youth
    This collection contains audio and paper materials related to juvenile justice and incarceration. The criminalization of youth, conditions inside of juvenile facilities and poetry and art are three major focuses.
  • Private Prisons
    Private Prisons
    Private prisons or for-profit prisons, have been an integral part of the corrections industry since the 1990s. These prisons are operated by publically traded companies and generate revenue based on how many prisoners they house.
  • Race, the War on Drugs and the Prison System
    Race, the War on Drugs and the Prison System
    This collection contains materials relating to the connections between race and imprisonment in the United States.

Documents

On the correlation between the Willie Lynch method and the Debriefing Process On the correlation between the Willie Lynch method and the Debriefing Process
Author: J. Heshima DenhamPublisher: Democracy ProjectFormat: PamphletCollection: Prison - Conditions
A dialectical and historical analysis of the mechanics behind the debriefing process.
Alternative House, Oakland Alternative House, Oakland
Publisher: Alternative HouseFormat: ReportCollection: Prison - Conditions
This statement of purpose describes Alternative House as an "alternative for the troubles, discomforts, and anxieties of the typical man, momentarily, out of prison on a seventy-two hour pass and in need of a place to eat and sleep, in need of a temporary home to come." The statement addresses plans for expansion and makes appeals for support. Co-founded by Paul Cook (formerly incarcerated) and former UC Berkeley Professor Maalik Al-Maalik, Alternative House aspired to launch programs for drug abuse and juvenile delinquency as well as rehabilitation and development for convict-ex-convict. It was formerly located at 526 32nd Street in Oakland, Ca.
San Quentin Must Be Closed! San Quentin Must Be Closed!
Format: FlyerCollection: Prison - Conditions
Pamphlet written by an ad-hoc committee formed for the purpose of applying pressure on individuals responsible for running San Quentin Prison, including guards and administrators (list of 30+ committee members included). The pamphlet calls for support through affiliated organizations including the Prisoner's Union, the National Lawyers Guild, American Civil Liberties Union, Connections, and more.
Letter to Elizabeth Letter to Elizabeth
Author: Bonnie KernessPublisher: American Friends Service CommitteeYear: 1999Format: CorrespondenceCollection: Prison - Conditions
Reproduction of letter and documents pertaining to the United States intelligence community targeting of Bonnie Kerness
Prison Action Conference Statement of Principles - "The Struggle Inside" Prison Action Conference Statement of Principles - "The Struggle Inside"
Year: 1972Format: StatementCollection: Prison - Conditions
Conference took place in Berkeley January 28-30, 1972. Issues in the Struggle: 1. Political Analysis and Education 2. Fundamental Goals of the Prison Movement 3. Leadership 4. Support for the Struggle Inside 5. Strategies from the Outside
The Hidden War: A preliminary Report: Laws-Courts Prisons The Hidden War: A preliminary Report: Laws-Courts Prisons
Publisher: Prison Information CommitteeFormat: ReportCollection: Prison - Conditions
Reveals the hidden war taking place in which the government controls people by the direct and indirect use of force and violence. Includes handwritten notes.
Connections Connections
Publisher: ConnectionsFormat: MonographCollection: Prison - Conditions
Includes handwritten notes
The Inside Story - Brutality in US Prisons The Inside Story - Brutality in US Prisons
Publisher: Prison Discipline StudyFormat: MonographCollection: Prison - Conditions
reproduction with handwritten notation
Shattering the Myth of Humane Imprisonment in the US Shattering the Myth of Humane Imprisonment in the US
Publisher: Prison Discipline StudyFormat: MonographCollection: Prison - Conditions
2 copies as codex, 1 reproduction stapled loose leaf
The Struggle Inside The Struggle Inside
Format: PamphletCollection: Prison - Conditions
Information on the Prison System. Outlines 5 primary issues in the Struggle: Political Analysis and Education; Fundamental Goals of the Prison Movement; Leadership; Support for the Struggle Inside; and Strategies from Outside. Also contains information about the upcoming Prison Action Conference at the Pauley Ballroom, UC Berkeley.