Sister Miriam Wilson's Collection on the Pontiac Brothers Prison Reform Movement

Scope and Contents note

Newspaper clippings, pamphlets, flyers, booklets, handouts, correspondence, and other documents of the Pontiac Brothers prison reform collection compiled by Sister Miriam Wilson. Materials document the response to the conviction of 31 prisoners in the 1978 Pontiac prison rebellion in Pontiac, Illinois, one of the largest prison riots in the United States. The Pontiac Prison was known for its crowded quarters and mistreatment of prisoners. 17 of the convicted prisoners were sentenced to death, which gained the attention of several local religious organizations, including Sister Miriam Wilson of St. Scholastic Priory in Chicago. Much of the correspondence in the collection is between Wilson and other prisoners and politicians. Most of the pamphlets, flyers, and handouts are in support of the convicted prisoners and summarize the rebellion and conditions at Pontiac Prison. These were published by various church groups and the Pontiac Prisoners Support Coalition. Also included is Prisoners are People Too, a compilation of poems by John Bailey, one of the convicted inmates, and Pontiac: a captivating narrative observation of one of America's largest criminal cases, by a mother whose son was tried as a death defendant in this case by Marie Tolbert. A "Free the Pontiac Brothers" t-shirt is also present.