Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Downtime Project
Title:	Downtime Project Collection
Inclusive Dates:	1991-2006
Quantity:	4.25 linear feet
Abstract:	Writings and artwork, submitted by incarcerated Americans, that portray their experiences of prison life
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

The Downtime Project was initiated by the Man On The Street (MOTS) Library, a repository established by Alan Wahlstrom in 1988 that aimed to collect and preserve stories from common people. Wahlstrom defined it as "a repository where anyone at all, regardless of whom, could place their words, art, ideas, opinions...whatever... for the public to free[ly] access." At the end of 1991, MOTS Library started the Downtime Project, requesting submissions from incarcerated Americans that documented their life as prisoners. The library received hundreds of submissions from across the United States.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Downtime Project Collection contains writings and artwork submitted by incarcerated individuals across the United States. Some contributors submitted writings regarding their thoughts and reflections on prison life. Others offered details about their arrests and convictions. Some contributors maintained their innocence, arguing the need for a retrial. A few contributors submitted their court records, usually to support their case they had been wrongly convicted. Others submitted their original poetry, song lyrics, or short stories, not all of which focused on prison life. Some inmates submitted artwork or decorated their envelopes with detailed drawings.

Prisons represented in the collection cover the entire United States, with significant contributions from the Midwestern and West regions of United States. Contributors were primarily male, with only a handful of submissions from women inmates. Contributors had been convicted for a wide variety of crimes, including murder, drug dealing, and larceny. Some contributors were on Death Row for their crimes. Wahlstrom was known to inmate contributors only as "A.W." In some instances, Wahlstrom engaged in ongoing personal communication and conversation with contributors, some of which is included within various submissions.

Please note that this collection contains material that some researchers may find objectionable due to racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, violent, or other harmful language and/or imagery. This material is preserved and retained with the collection for its historic and research value.

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Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is arranged alphabetically by contributor's last name.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advance notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Downtime Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Alan Wahlstrom, 2021.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: DTF
Date: 10 Jun 2021
Revision history: 23 Nov 2022 - collection processed (DTF)

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Inventory

	Submissions
Box 1		Adkins, Ray 1992
Box 1		Ainsworth, Steven King 1991-1999 (8 folders)
Box 1		Altic, Donald 1992
Box 1		Andrews, Larry 1993
Box 1		Archer, Denise 1993-1994
Box 1		Barr, Jason 1994
Box 1		Bayless, William E. 1994
Box 1		Beam, William 1992
Box 1		Black, Carl 1992
Box 1		Blaes, David Anthony 1990-1992 (3 folders)
Box 1		Byerly, Ricky 1992
Box 1		Carneal, David 1994
Box 2		Cathrina, Bruce Sr. 1992
Box 2		Cohagen, Paul 1992
Box 2		Craft, Wayne 1992-1999
Box 2		Dane, Dave 1992-1993
Box 2		Dawson, Ralph 1993
Box 2		Deeves, Bill 1993
Box 2		Doran, Michael 1999
Box 2		Dorst, Diane 1996
Box 2		Duane, Eberling 1992-1993
Box 2		Duane, Paula 1995
Box 2		Edgemon, John W. 1992
Box 2		Ellenburg, William R. 1994
Box 2		Elvers, Scott 1992
Box 2		Eyeler, Thomas 1992
Box 2		Fairfield, Russell T. 1993
Box 2		Ferrell, Kenneth 1992
Box 2		Fields, Zane 1993
Box 2		Fleming, Tom 1992-1993
Box 2		Fowler, Robert 1992-1994
Box 2		Fox, Tommy 1992
Box 2		Fraley, Stephen 1999
Box 2		Goad, Tim 1994
Box 2		Goodall, Scott undated
Box 2		Gregory, Royal 1994
Box 2		Haase, Lawrence 1993
Box 2		Hardin, Robbie 1993-1994
Box 2		Harvey, Robert 1994
Box 2		Hawkins, David 1993
Box 2		Hicks, Wiliiam 1992 (2 folders)
Box 2		Hines, J.L. 1993
Box 2		Holden, Thomas 1992
Box 2		Holifield, Troy 1993
Box 3		Howden, Lorne 1992
Box 2		Howe, John M. 1993
Box 3		Howe, John M. 1993-1995 (2 folders)
Box 3		Hunter, Wesley 2003
Box 3		Hurtado, Jose 1993
Box 3		James, Christopher undated
Box 3		Jarvis, Charles 1992
Box 3		Jarvis, Jerry 1992
Box 3		Johnson, Thomas 1992
Box 3		Jones, David B. 1993
Box 3		Kelly, Dwight 1992, 1995
Box 3		Kirkman, Tom 1992
Box 3		Koch, Matt 1992-1993
Box 3		Laird, Harold 1994
Box 3		Lambert, Charley 1992
Box 3		Lambros, John Gregory 1995-1996, 2001
Box 3		Leonard, Fred 1992
Box 3		Lerma, Alfonzo 1996
Box 3		Loggins, Henry 1993
Box 3		Lopez, Natividad 1992 (2 folders)
Box 3		Macleod, Galbraith undated
Box 3		Magee, Ruchell 1994
Box 3		Marketto, Kenny 1992
Box 3		Martinelli, Jimmy 1992
Box 4		McCall, Doug 1993-1996, 2002
Box 4		Michaud, David 1993-1997
Box 4		Moore, Gerald 1994
Box 4		Moore, Robert 1992
Box 4		Muhammad, Ahmed 1995
Box 4		Nappi, Robert 1992
Box 4		Newbury, Eugene 1993
Box 4		Nipper, William 1992
Box 4		Norris, Robert 1994
Box 4		O'Hare, Dave 1993 (6 folders)
Box 4		Oppen, Merel David 2000
Box 4		Padilla, Melinda 1996
Box 5		Parker, Arnim 1994-1995 (2 folders)
Box 5		Partlow, John G. 1995-1996, 2006
Box 5		Peery, Donald W. 2000
Box 5		Perez, Michelle 1995
Box 5		Plant, Jerry 1991, 1995
Box 5		Ramirez, Carlos 1995
Box 5		Rich, John 1993
Box 5		Richardson, Robert 1993
Box 5		Riskas, Lawrence D. 1992
Box 5		Roberts, Jeffrey 1992-1993
Box 5		Rodriguez, Joe 1993-1994
Box 5		Rolland, Mike 1992
Box 5		Rosati, Tommy 1994
Box 5		Sampson, Charles undated
Box 5		Sander, Walter II 1994
Box 5		Sanders, William 1992
Box 5		Sater, Merle 1993
Box 5		Seng, Foo 1994
Box 5		Shriver, Don 1992-1993
Box 5		Staats, Mike 1993
Box 5		Stone-Bey, Lorenzo 1994
Box 5		Steleman, John P. 1993
Box 5		Taylor, Jon Marc 1994
Box 5		Valcourt, Dennis 1992-1993
Box 6		Vigus, Joel Jr. 1992
Box 6		Walker, Darrell 1993-1994
Box 6		Walling, Laurie Bud 1993
Box 6		Walter, Ralph 1992
Box 6		Warren, Jack 1992
Box 6		Webb, C. 1994
Box 6		Weiss, August 1994
Box 6		West, Don 1992
Box 6		Whitt, Charles 1994-1995
Oversize 1		Whitt, Charles 1995
Box 6		Whiting, Trevor 1993
Box 6		Wighahl, Charles 1992
Box 6		Wilhite, Holland undated
Box 6		Wilson, Darryl L. 1992
Box 6		Winchester, Rodney 1992
Box 6		Wingfield, Frank 1997
Box 6		Williams, David L. 1992
Box 6		Williams, James 1993
Box 6		Wilson, Warner Lee 1992
Box 6		Wodke, Sam 1993
Box 6		Wright, Joseph 1994-1995
Box 6		Zen, Ozzy 1992
Box 6		Miscellaneous 1994-1995 - compilation of death row stories and artwork (2 folders)
Box 6		Anonymous/unknown origin 1994-1995 undated - two issues of the magazine "Prison Life" (2 folders)

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