This collection comprises the records of three related organisations and schemes; the Oxford Prison Benefaction Fund, the Oxfordshire Prisoners' Aid Society (OPAS) and the Joint Committee of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Prisoners' Aid Societies.
From at least the 18th century, various benefactions existed to support Oxford Prison, its prisoners and their families. The disparate charities appear to have been collated by the Clerk of the Peace for Oxfordshire in 1872, and a central Benefactions Fund established. From around 1926, monies from the Benefaction Fund helped to fund the work of the Oxfordshire Prisoners' Aid Society.
The Oxfordshire Prisoners' Aid Society was formed in 1924, under the chairmanship of Sir Montagu Burrows. Its aim was to provide support to former prisoners, to assist individuals awaiting trial and to help families of prisoners serving sentences. Assistance included help finding employment and accommodation on discharge from prison, and financial support towards clothing, equipment and transport costs. It was principally funded by public subscription, the Oxford Prison Benefaction Fund and government grants. Its role was largely superceded by a Joint Society for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire from 1935 to 1965, with funding from each county pooled. Part of the later work of the Oxfordshire Prisoners' Aid Society illustrated by the records was the setting up and running of Thornton House, a hostel on the Iffley Road, Oxford, for prisoners released on parole. It was open from 1967-1978. On the closing of Thornton House, the Society's funds were used to make grants to specific prisoners. The Society appears to have been dissolved circa early 1990s.
In 1935 the Joint Committee of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Prisoners Aid Societies (otherwise Discharged Prisoners' Aid Societies, D.P.A.S) was formed, which then governed the work of the aid societies in the three counties for the next thirty years. The Joint Committee was dissolved in 1965 and its role taken up by the Probation Service, with society responsibilities returning to individual counties. As such there is a gap in OPAS committee minutes for this period, where the Joint Committee minutes should be consulted instead.
The majority of the records were deposited by OPAS as accession 1146 in 1974 and catalogued under collection reference O.P.A.S. Further records deposited in 1982 as accession 2100 were previously catalogued under collection reference O101 by Eleanor Roberts in 1992. Recatalogued by Katherine Kinrade in July 2023.