MG-451. H. CRAIG LEWIS PAPERS, 1974-1992.
H. Craig Lewis was born on July 22, 1944 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania and served as a Democratic state senator from the 6th District from 1972 to 1992. A graduate of Millersville State College, University of Nebraska graduate school, and Temple University School of Law, Lewis practiced law and served as a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Inter-Governmental Council and the State Advisory Committee for Guidance Service. The collection contains legislative papers relating to the service of Senator Lewis. Information focusing on African Americans includes:
General Subject File.
Bensalem Youth Detention Center. This Center is one of eight facilities maintained by the Department of Welfare where juvenile offenders are sent for treatment, supervision, and rehabilitation. Located in Bucks County, it has a 93 percent minority population, many coming from inner-city Philadelphia. The institution has been plagued with numerous problems including inadequate staffing, poor staff training, staff brutality toward inmates, and a high level of inmate violence. This file contains letters, documents, and newspaper clippings relating to African American youth.
Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway, 1987-1988. This file contains letters supporting Senate Bill 741 that was introduced by Senator H. Craig Lewis in 1978 designating a portion of U.S. Route 1 in Bucks County as the Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway. Also included are letters from Senator Lewis thanking supporters of the bill, copies of Senate Bill 741, and a news clipping from an unidentified newspaper entitled "Section of Road Named for Dr. King," by Linda A. Johnson.
Legislation File.
Scotland School for Veterans’ Children. Created in 1895 near Chambersburg in Franklin County, this school has a significant enrollment of African American youth. Items relating to Governor Robert P. Casey’s proposal to phase out the Scotland School for Veterans’ Children in 1991 include:
• Information Pertaining to Scotland School for Veterans’ Children," prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, March 8, 1991. The information in this report includes statistical data supporting the closing of the school.
• Letters supporting the appropriation of additional funds to keep the school open. Among the correspondents are: Ruth Ann Shelly, March 11, 1991; Tim E. Cook, a head track coach at nearby Chambersburg Area Senior High School: Edward T. Hoak, state adjutant, American Legion, March 15, 1991; Jeffrey W. Coy, state house representative of the 89th District, March 18, 1991; and Susan M. Cook, March 19, 1991. A letter from the teachers at the Scotland School for Veterans’ Children, dated May 28, 1991, makes reference to all of the above letters as well as to letters of inquiry received from various legislators that the teachers felt were filled with misinformation. This file contains the following items originally enclosed with the teachers’ letter to Senator Lewis: "Fact Sheet, Scotland School for Veterans’ Children," prepared by the administration on May 10, 199l; "Information Pertaining to Scotland School for Veterans’ Children, A Rebuttal to the Pennsylvania Department of Education," prepared by the administration, March 10, 1991; and "Testimonies presented before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Basic Education Pertaining to Scotland School for Veterans’ Children," by the following School associates: Interim Superintendent C. Frank Frame, Librarian Richard G. Tarr, student Tara Nicole Smith, and Alumni Association President Robert Shrawder, April 30, 1991.
Camp Hill Riot Transcripts, 1989-1990. Transcripts of hearings and resolutions issued by the House of Representatives, Committee on Judiciary, covering various aspects of the riots at Camp Hill Correctional Institution, October 25-27, 1989. Among these records are the following publications:
After Camp Hill: The Keys to Ending Crisis, a report by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Steward J. Greenleaf, chairman, undated. Topics discussed include: More Secure Institutions/Upgraded Emergency Preparedness; Improved Prison Management; Sentencing Revisions/ Alternatives to Incarceration; and Parole System Overhaul. This report contains information on the riots at the Camp Hill Correctional Institution that occurred October 25-27, 1989. The riot resulted in 120 injuries to prison employees and inmates. Much of the prison was destroyed, requiring the relocation of more than one thousand inmates to other federal prisons in the state. This report also states that during seven months following the October riots, the committee held 117 public hearings and collected over three thousand pages of testimony. A large percentage of the inmates at Camp Hill were African Americans. Causes given for the rioting included overcrowding, understaffing, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of inmate programs and job opportunities, and friction between management and the corrections officers. The committee provided recommendations addressing master planning, public policy, administrative actions, and steps for immediate action. At the time of the riot, there were 2,600 inmates occupying an institution designed to accommodate 1,826.
The Final Report of the Governor’s Commission to Investigate Disturbances at the Camp Hill Correctional Institution, December 21, 1989, submitted by Arlin M. Adams, George M. Leader, and K. Leroy Irvis. This report contains an "Executive Summary," chronology of events, analysis, and a set of conclusions and recommendations with regard to riots that occurred at the Camp Hill Correctional Institution on October 25-27, 1989.
Organized Crime in Pennsylvania: A Decade of Change, 1990 Report, Produced by the Pennsylvania Crime Commission. This 364-page report provides an overview of trends in organized crime in Pennsylvania during the preceding decade. Chapter 7 consists of a summary of African American involvement with organized crime in Pennsylvania. Exploring the types of crimes committed and the most frequent modes of organization, the report found African American community involvement in a multi-million dollar numbers racketeering operation and a large drug trafficking network with the major distribution organizations identified in the Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia areas. The report details modes of organization, such as domestic kin and associated networks, and reveals the extent of multi-million dollar drug trafficking networks. Prominent among the organizations reported was Philadelphia’s "Black Mafia" and "Junior Black Mafia" whose networks were believed to extend across the state. Names and "street names" of individuals involved in such operations are given together with their addresses, ages, types of crimes, the amount of money involved, whether their activities were part of a family business, and the names of associated family members.