Collections : [New York State Modern Political Archive]

The series is the main correspondence/subject file of the CCJ. It contains the correspondence, 1976-1982, predominantly of CCJ Chair/Director & Coordinator Irene Jackson, 1976-1982. To a lesser degree of Diane Geary, CCJ Administrative Assistant/Assistant Director 1979-1982, and Interim Director 1982-1983; Director Richard V. Avant, 1983; Executive Director Van Zwishohn, 1984; Good Time Project coordinator, 1981-1982, Planning and Legislative Coordinator 1982-1983, and Assistant Director Peter Pollack, 1982-1983; his successor as legislative coordinator Sandra Mitchell, 1983-1984, mostly with the New York State Commission of Corrections. Also includes correspondence with Senator Marino, Coalition members, the Department of Correctional Services, the Monroe County Legal Assistance Corporation (Greater Upstate Law Project), the Medical Society N.Y. State, the Council of Churches, the Creative Communications Committee of Green Haven, Prison Families Anonymous, INC., the Prison Outreach and Prevention Program, the Osborne Association, INC., the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the Volunteer Attorney Service Teams for N.Y. State Prisons, Amnesty International, Prison Research Education Actions Project, Westchester Alliance, Prisoner's Accelerated Creative Exposure, INC., Prisoner Rehabilitation, INC., Full Step, INC., and the Fortune Society. The correspondence documents the mission of the organization, which is reforming the state's criminal justice system by educating citizens about the law. To improve the quality of the system, the CCJ advocates alternatives to the traditional criminal justice policy of incarceration. These alternatives include bail reform, sentencing reform, good time reform, second felony offender laws, redirecting correctional resources from prisons to community programs, expansion of the state temporary release program, victim restitution programs, community dispute resolution programs, and fighting against the death penalty and prison expansion. Other materials include: a December 29, 1981 draft article by Irene Jackson on the history, personnel & responsibilities, and programs of the Coalition financial/budget records, legal grants manuals, Good-Time reform project information, membership lists 1979-1980/82, prisoners legal services of N.Y. employee list 1981, judicial process committee membership list 1980, minority business directory, and lists of alternative programs. Series also contains photographs from supersession, training weekend, and Coalition staff. Cassette tapes contain audio from Community Correction Conference.

This series contains early drafts of the GSEU constitution and by-laws as well as some early correspondence with attorneys who provided advice on proper structuring of the group and wording of their official documents. There are also affiliation agreements between the GSEU and New York State, an agreement between the GSEU and CWA, histories of the GSEU, and some basic union fact sheets.

This series contains correspondence generated or received by Concerned Citizens Against Crossgates, petitions, fliers and ads relating to CCAC meetings, lists of CCAC speaking engagements and witnesses for CCAC. Also included are folders on the canidates for the 1980 Town of Guilderland elections. This series also contains data gathered on traffic at other malls and literature relating to residential property values.

Records giving the organizational structure of the Business and Professional Women's Club of Albany, New York, as well as that of the state and national groups. Includes revisions of the by-laws (1979-80, 1982), a printed copy of the certificate of incorporation for the Business and Professional Women's Clubs of New York State, Inc. (1965), copies of the constitution of the BPW of Albany (1934), and maps and charts showing the district organization of BPW in New York State (1976).

The collection contains the constitutions for 1898, 1903, and 1927-1991. The Constitution includes Articles, By-Laws, and Amendments. The Club's By-Laws specify the procedure by which new members are proposed. The earliest Pine Hills Fortnightly Club Constitution is handwritten in a notebook followed by the first recording of membership names dated 1900. Included in the constitutions are by-laws, articles, and amendments to the Constitutions. Constitutions often contain hand annotated revisions for incorporation into the next year's constitution.

Series 1 includes the proceedings from New York State Republican Committee meetings. One of its most useful features is the quantity of information about legislation passed and the voting statistics for counties. These would be useful for those writing political histories; one could follow trends in voting patterns to determine how the composition of counties has changed and what issues have become more important than others. Another useful element one can find in this series is the differences of voting trends in times of war and depression. The minutes also give insight into the various personalities of those involved in state politics. The minutes are also good sources of quotations for particular committee members' stands on legislation. Many of the minutes include the current party platform, allowing one to determine how the goals of the party have changed over time. An in-depth picture of the New York Republican State Committee is available through the minutes.

This series contains Mildred Taylor's correspondence with her constituents, co-workers, and other public officers. Taylor often corresponded with her constituents about possible taxes, including a soft drink tax (1951-1952), as well as possible legislation, and news about projects that she was working on. Taylor also corresponded with her co-workers and other public officials about projects including her involvement in the creation of the New York State Thruway. Taylor also corresponded about specific New York county issues, including school districts, taxes, and fire departments.