Biography/History

The National Prisoners' Aid Association was organized at the International Prison Congress in Washington, D.C. in 1910. Prior to that time, rehabilitation programs for former prisoners had been carried on by the Committee on Discharged Prisoners of the American Prison Association. The objective of the National Prisoners' Aid Association was to further the development of improved correctional service through “...extension of work for prisoners including prison visitation, inspection of correctional institutions, assistance to prisoners, probation, parole, legislation, research and public education of the problems of penology and criminology....” The NPAA evolved from an individual membership association to an agency membership organization, and operated from its inception through these voluntary prisoners' aid societies rather than directly with individual prisoners.

By 1950, several Canadian prisoners' aid agencies had affiliated with the American national association. In recognition of the Canadian agencies and in anticipation of prisoners' aid groups from other countries making a similar move to unite with them, the association changed its name to the International Prisoners' Aid Association. The society flourished. In 1963, the individual agencies in the United States who were members of the association, merged into a single national organization and participated in the IPAA as a group from that date. The new U.S. organization was known as the Correctional Service Federation, U.S.A., and shared administrative offices with the International Prisoners' Aid Association at Milwaukee. Ruth (Mrs. John G.) Parsons Baker of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, served as executive director for both associations as well as assistant superintendent and then superintendent of the Wisconsin Service Association (formerly the Society for the Friendless, Wisconsin Division).

In 1964, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations granted the International Prisoners' Aid Association advisory status as a non-governmental organization to be consulted on matters pertaining to the rehabilitation and treatment of former prisoners.

The headquarters of the International Prisoners' Aid Association was moved in 1973 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it had been located since 1950.

The following is a listing of IPAA member agencies and organizations as of 1970:

MEMBER AGENCIES

• Bureau of Rehabilitation, Washington, D.C.
• Colorado Prison Association, Denver, Colorado
• Connecticut Prison Association, Hartford, Connecticut
• John Howard Association, Chicago, Illinois
• John Howard Association of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Minnesota Prisoners Aid Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• New York Friends Center, New York, New York
• Northern California Service League, San Francisco, California
• The Osborne Association, New York, New York
• The Pennsylvania Prison Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Personal Aid Bureau, Jewish Family Service, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• The Prisoners' Aid Society, Inc., Dayton, Ohio
• The Prisoners Aid Society of Delaware, Wilmington, Delaware
• The Prisoners' Aid Association of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland
• The Prison Association of New York, New York, New York
• Special Social Services, Inc., New York, New York
• Social Rehabilitation Department, Jewish Family Service, New York, New York
• St. Louis Bureau for Men, St. Louis, Missouri
• United Prison Association of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
• The Women's Prison Association of New York, New York, New York
• Wisconsin Service Association, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• John Howard Society of Alberta, Calgary, Alberta
• The John Howard Society of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• The John Howard Society of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
• John Howard Society of Quebec, Montreal, Quebec
• The John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Society of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• The Salvation Army, Toronto, Ontario
• Society D'Orientation et de Rehabilitation Sociale, Montreal, Quebec
• The Andhra Pradesh Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society, Hyderabad, A.P., India
• The National Association of Discharged Prisoners Aid Societies, London, England (until 1963)

MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS, 1969-1970

• All India Crime Prevention Society
• Association for Christian Help to Prisoners, Argentina
• Association of Social Rehabilitation Agencies (Quebec Division), Canada
• Australian Crime Prevention, Correction and Aftercare Council
• Cairo Prisoners Aid Association, U.A.R.
• Civil Rehabilitation Agency, Korea
• Correctional Service Federation - U.S.A.
• Danish Welfare Society
• Federal Union of Offenders Aid Association, Austria
• Federation of Norwegian Rehabilitation Societies
• Federation of Offenders Aid Associations, West Germany
• Guild of St. Philip, Ireland
• Hong Kong Discharged Prisoners Aid Society
• Japan Rehabilitation Aid Association
• John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Society of Manitoba, Canada
• John Howard Society of Alberta, Canada
• John Howard Society of Ontario, Canada
• League of Societies for the Rehabilitation of Offenders in Israel
• National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO), England
• National Bureau for Probation Services, Netherlands
• National Council of Social Services Association of South Africa
• New Zealand Prisoners' Aid and Rehabilitation Society (Inc.)
• Prisoners' Aid Association, Iceland
• Probation Assistance Association, Inc., West Germany
• Patronato Paro Liberados, Mexico
• Singapore After-Care Association
• Society for the Protection of Prisoners, Iran
• Taiwan After-Care Association, The Republic of China