NRS-2467 | Photographic Description Books [State Penitentiary, Long Bay]

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 (1). 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’ (2).This series contains a photograph of each prisoner and the following information: number, prisoners’ name, aliases, date when portrait was taken, native place, year of birth, details of arrival in the colony - ship and year of arrival, trade or occupation, religion, degree of education, height, weight (on committal, on discharge), colour of hair, colour of eyes, marks or special features, number of previous portrait, where and when tried, offence, sentence, remarks, and details of previous convictions (where and when, offence and sentence).There appears to have been one face-on and one side-on photograph per individual until August 1923 when there was a face-on, a side-on and a full-length photograph per individual. End Notes: (1) Supplement to the New South Wales Government Gazette 19 February 1867, 5. (2) Prisons Act, 1952 s.19.

本系列数据集系依据1867年2月19日《新南威尔士州（New South Wales，NSW）政府公报副刊》（Supplement to the New South Wales Government Gazette）中公布的《监狱规章（Gaol Regulations）》制定。各监狱的监狱长（Gaoler）需编制并维护一份档案册（Description Book）。该档案册需与入院登记册（Entrance Books）采用同一排序规则进行归档，内容涵盖所有收押囚犯的个人特征描述、宗教信仰及其他所有法定填报信息，同时还需维护档案册的索引（1）。部分监狱早在该规章生效前便已留存有囚犯档案册。
尽管将囚犯照片纳入档案册的做法始于19世纪末期，但直至20世纪中期《1952年监狱法（Prisons Act, 1952）》（第9号法令，1952年）通过后才受到规范。该法第19条规定："所有囚犯均需接受拍照、采集指印与掌印，并记录规定要求的个人特征相关信息"（2）。
本系列数据集包含每名囚犯的照片及以下信息：编号、囚犯姓名、别名、肖像拍摄日期、籍贯、出生年份、抵达殖民地的详情（乘船信息与抵达年份）、行业或职业、宗教信仰、受教育程度、身高、体重（收押时、释放时）、头发颜色、眼睛颜色、体表标记或特殊特征、既往拍摄肖像次数、审判地点与时间、所犯罪行、判决结果、备注，以及前科详情（审判时间与地点、所犯罪行及判决结果）。
1923年8月前，每名囚犯的照片均为1张正面照与1张侧面照；1923年8月起，每名囚犯需拍摄正面照、侧面照及全身照各1张。
尾注：(1) 《新南威尔士州政府公报副刊》，1867年2月19日，第5页。(2) 《1952年监狱法》第19条。