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. 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.

Search Results

USP Florence-Pelican Bay SHU USP Florence-Pelican Bay SHU
Date: 1/1/1992Call Number: V 427Format: VHSCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Story on CNN in the 1990s. ADX Florence has been called “the Alcatraz of the Rockies” and CNN repeats the official government position that ADX Florence - the worst control unit prison - is a "place for prisoners who have committed crimes against other prisoners." One of the interviewee’s is political prisoner Oscar López-Rivera. Special on Pelican Bay by 60 Minutes. Interviews include several prisoners and prison guards about their experiences in Pelican Bay. It also recounts how prisoners sued the state of California for human rights violations and torture.
Control Units: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown Control Units: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Date: 1/1/1988Call Number: V 563Format: VHSProducers: Committee to End the Marion LockdownCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Basic introduction to the Marion control unit prison and the spread of its techniques, with historical background, data tables on growth of prison population, violations of human rights/torture, political prisoners, overall structure of white supremacy and the role of prisons as control mechanism for people of color and social justice movement leaders.
Control Units: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown Control Units: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Date: 1/1/1988Call Number: V 641Format: DV CamProducers: Committee to End the Marion LockdownCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Excerpts from a Basic introduction to the Marion control unit prison and the spread of its techniques, with historical background, data tables on growth of prison population, violations of human rights/torture, political prisoners, overall structure of white supremacy and the role of prisons as control mechanism for people of color and social justice movement leaders.
Killing us Softly and scientifically: Update on M.C.C. Killing us Softly and scientifically: Update on M.C.C.
Publisher: National Campaign to Stop Control UnitsYear: 1996Format: CorrespondenceCollection: American Friends Service Committee
Update on the current conditions and reality at MCC/MCF, Westville, IN. Part of 11/1996 mailing.
Public morality and the Supermax Prison: Madison Urban Ministry Social Justice Task Force Public morality and the Supermax Prison: Madison Urban Ministry Social Justice Task Force
Publisher: Ed SteichenFormat: StatementCollection: American Friends Service Committee
Statement against building supermax prison in Madison, WI and the psychological effects of isolation and sensory deprivation on inmates. Part of 8/1997 mailing.
What is a Supermax Prison? What is a Supermax Prison?
Author: Compiled by Alice LyndDate: 3/1996Volume Number: MarchFormat: MonographCollection: Control Units
What is a supermax prison?; Who gets put into supermax prisons and control units?; What are the effects on inmates?; What are the effects on guards?; What are the effects on the community?; conclusions.
Topical Survey: Super Max Facilities and Units Topical Survey: Super Max Facilities and Units
Publisher: Summary for Corrections AdministratorsYear: 1993Volume Number: WinterFormat: ArticleCollection: Control Units
Reproduction of Original Article.
Control Unit Prisons Control Unit Prisons
Publisher: CLAWSFormat: FlyerCollection: Control Units
A brief factsheet about Control Unit Prisons and their conditions.