Accession consists of records created and/or maintained by the British Columbia Penitentiary, as well as records relating to the British Columbia Penitentiary. The accession also contains newsletters, pamphlets, and other documents relating to corrections and penitentiaries generally.
The accession includes, but is not limited to: photographs relating to building demolition, reconstruction, maintenance and repair; photographs of furniture and other goods manufactured by inmates; photographs of brickmaking, logging, and other inmate work; photographs of the interior and exterior of the penitentiary; photographs of penitentiary staff; chaplain's reports; suicide and self mutilation records; records relating to Bill Miner; a drawing by Ivan "J.J." Horvat, with accompanying newspaper clippings regarding Horvat's murder; admissions and transfers records; close confinement logs; staff records; inmate movement reports; penitentiary basketball team documents and photographs; officers' oaths; index of convicts, prisoner file cards, and directories of prisoners; work location logs; warden's journals; duty rosters; inmate disturbances records; transcriptions of newspaper articles, correspondence and reports; report of Operation "H" 1976 hostage-taking incident; inmate newsletters; various reports and publications regarding the correctional system; copies of the Penitentiary Act; RCMP pamphlets; John Howard Society publications; annual reports of the Commissioner of Penitentiaries, the Superintendent of Penitentiaries, and the Minister of Justice as to Penitentiaries; and programmes for various events relating to the penitentiary, its staff, and its inmates.
The accession also contains a large number of glass plate negatives consisting mainly of inmate mug shots.