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Colorado State Archives
Earle Meyer/Edward Grout Collection
Scope and Content Note
The Earle Meyer/Edward Grout Collection consists of
records that Earle Meyer and Edward Grout compiled throughout their employment
with the Colorado Corrections Department. There are 3 cubic feet of
records and 2 cubic feet of photographs that document the early years of
the penitentiary system and the span from 1950-1975. Most of the early
records in the collection are photographs of the penal system from 1871-
1958. Besides this early documentation of the prison, the collection is an excellent resource for researchers studying
the prison and prison reform during the period from 1955-1975.
In 1954 the head of Adult Parole, Wayne K. Patterson,
began discussions with his staff and with members of the General Assembly
concerning the construction of a pre-parole release center. Funds were
appropriated in 1955 and the first admissions to the Pre-Parole Release
Center occurred in early 1959. Its purpose was to provide a
"practical, modern, effective tool for preparing the adult inmate for
return to the community." The Center was to provide "an
opportunity for de-institutionalization, a period when an inmate can take
stock of himself, reaffirm his goals and his hopes and his desires, obtain
counseling, broaden his purpose and his outlook and, by so doing, enhance
his chances for successful parole and a happy life." (DOC Public
Relations Publication, 1967).
Edward Grout is credited for developing much of the
program as he became Executive Director of the Division of Adult Parole in
1958. Earle Meyer was also instrumental in developing the program. Both men
collected photographs and documents which are now in the custody of the
Colorado State Archives. Of special importance in the collection are
photographs of the pre-parole release programs, publications, reports, and
numerous scrapbooks that document newspaper coverage of the penal system
and the pre-parole release program.
Access to the Collection
We will respond to mail, e-mail, and phone requests. We
do have search, handling, and copy fees. Please contact
us in order to find out the charges for your request. Otherwise,
the collection is available on a walk-in basis during our hours of
operation.
Below is the inventory listing of this collection. Other
corrections collections are also available.
Collection Inventory
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