NRS-2601 | Photograph description book [Yass Gaol]

The series was created in accordance with the 'Gaol Regulations' proclaimed in the Supplement to the NSW Government Gazette of 19 February 1867. A 'Description Book' was required to be created and maintained by the Gaoler of each prison. The Description Book was to be kept in the same order as the Entrance Books and was to contain the following details: personal description, religion, and all other prescribed information of all prisoners received. An index to the Description Books also had to be maintained. Some prisons maintained description books prior to this regulation.Photographing prisoners for inclusion in the Description Books commenced late in the nineteenth century, although it was not regulated until the mid twentieth century with the passage of the Prisons Act 1952 (Act No.9, 1952) which stated 'Every prisoner shall be liable to be photographed, to have the impression of his fingers and palms taken, and to have such details of his personal description as may be prescribed recorded.'The series consists of individual loose-leaf sheets each including a photo or photographs of a prisoner, accompanied by the following details: name, aliases, date when portrait was taken, native place, year of birth, arrived in colony - ship and year, trade or occupation, religion, degree of education, height, weight (on committal, on discharge), colour of hair, colour of eyes, marks or special features, where and when tried, offence, sentence, remarks, previous convictions - where and when, offence, sentence.The volume contains only 6 entries.

本档案系列系依照1867年2月19日《新南威尔士政府公报》增刊中公布的《监狱规例》（Gaol Regulations）制定。每所监狱的狱长须编制并维护《描述册》（Description Book），该描述册须与入册登记簿（Entrance Books）按相同序列归档，且需收录所有收押囚犯的个人特征、宗教信仰及其他所有规定填报信息。此外，还须维护描述册的检索索引。部分监狱早在该规例颁布前便已开始留存描述册。为将囚犯照片收录至描述册的拍摄工作始于19世纪末期，但直至20世纪中期，随着1952年《监狱法》（Prisons Act 1952，第9号1952年法令）的颁布，该工作才得以规范化。该法明确规定："所有囚犯均须接受拍照、采集指印及掌印，并记录经规定的个人特征相关细节。"本档案系列由单张活页文档构成，每张文档均附有一名或多名囚犯的照片，并附带如下信息：姓名、别名、肖像拍摄日期、籍贯、出生年份、抵达殖民地的船舶信息及年份、行业或职业、宗教信仰、受教育程度、身高、（收押时、释放时的）体重、头发颜色、眼睛颜色、体表标记或特殊特征、受审地点与时间、所犯罪行、判决结果、备注、前科信息——包括受审时间与地点、所犯罪行、判决结果。本卷宗仅包含6条记录。