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

The Shame of America - Psychological Torture: US Style- The Case of Alejandrina and Susan The Shame of America - Psychological Torture: US Style- The Case of Alejandrina and Susan
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of WarFormat: ArticleCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
In English and Spanish
New Afrikan/Black Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War: Conditions of Confinement New Afrikan/Black Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War: Conditions of Confinement
Author: Jill Soffiyah ElijahFormat: MonographCollection: New Afrikan Prisoners
Essay on the conditions of confinement for New Afrikan/Black political prisoners and prisoners of war. 1 copy with handwritten notes
Prisoners Union: Convicts, Ex-convicts, and Concerned Individuals Fighting to Promote and Uphold the Rights and Welfare of California Prisoners Prisoners Union: Convicts, Ex-convicts, and Concerned Individuals Fighting to Promote and Uphold the Rights and Welfare of California Prisoners
Publisher: Prisoners UnionFormat: PamphletCollection: Prisoners Union
Pamphlet with general information on the Union and subscription information to the Prisoners Union Journal
Campaign to free Jose Luis Avina packet Campaign to free Jose Luis Avina packet
Publisher: Campaign to free Jose Luis Avina; Bario Defense Committee; Anarchist Black Cross Foundation; Format: CompilationCollection: Raza Prison
Reproductions. Compilation of information from various sources
Prisons v.s Schools Prisons v.s Schools
Format: GraphicCollection: Prisons - Stats, General
Reproduction of poster
Political Prisoners and Lesbian Resistance: An interview with Linda Evans, Laura Whitehorn and Susan Rosenberg Political Prisoners and Lesbian Resistance: An interview with Linda Evans, Laura Whitehorn and Susan Rosenberg
Author: Jennie McKnightPublisher: Gay Community NewsVolume Number: January 8Format: TranscriptCollection: Women Against Imperialism
Interview with three women political prisoners on lesbian organizing.
Attica Prison Rebellion Attica Prison Rebellion
Collection: Attica
Frank "Big Black" Smith and L.D. Barkley, who proclaimed the Attica Manifesto, and Elizabeth Fink, an attorney for the Attica Brothers. Barkley was killed in the massacre. Smith survived mass torture to help lead the eventually successful legal battle on behalf of the Attica Brothers.
The History of Marion Prison The History of Marion Prison
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
This video, created by the Committee to End the Marion Lockdown in 1988, serves to provide historical context around the opening of Marion Prison in 1963.
Model Control Unit Cell in Marion Model Control Unit Cell in Marion
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
The Committee to End the Marion Lockdown (CEML) creates a full size model of a typical control unit cell in Marion. This video, created in 1987, provides powerful visual representation of the daily existence of men incarcerated in Marion.
Marion and Lexington Control Unit p.1 Marion and Lexington Control Unit p.1
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesFormat: Video ClipCollection: Control Units
This video examines the women's control unit in the basement of Lexington FCI. Taken from recordings between 1986 and 1988, this video features general information as well as interviews with three of the five women being held in Lexington.