1970s – Cherie Livett Bombell

Browsing Posts tagged 1970s

Inmate’s Room

June 16, 2011 Cherie Bombell 20 comments

Tweet Imagine living in this much space. A tiny cell. Other areas of your ‘home’ are shared with at least 20 other people. There is no where to ‘get away’ except to your room and you can’t necessarily escape to your own space without permission. Prior to the early ’70, all activities were strictly controlled […]

Kids Behind Bars 1970s, behavior modification, Cemetery, Department of Corrections, Detention Centers, Geneva History Center, graveyard, Illinois State Training School for Girls, incarcerated, prison cell, reform school, young offenders

Illinois State Training School c. 1970

June 14, 2011 Cherie Bombell 61 comments

Tweet This is how I remember Illinois State Training School for Girls, Geneva, Illinois. I used to park my car in the lot just opposite the guard station then walk through the middle of the grounds to Geneva Cottage or to Oak and Wallace Cottage on the right (just out of the picture). The cemetery […]

Kids Behind Bars 1970s, Cemetery, Department of Corrections, Detention Centers, Geneva Illinois, Geneva Illinois Girls School, graveyard, incarcerated, young offenders

Geneva History Center Exhibition

June 11, 2011 Cherie Bombell 5 comments

Tweet In July, the Geneva History Center will host an exhibition titled Who Was Sadie Cooksey?. This is a traveling photo exhibition developed by Maine photographer, Maggie Foskett. With the genesis in 1979 when Ms Foskett took pictures of the cemetery at Geneva Training School, the exhibition focuses on a single individual whose tombstone caught […]

Kids Behind Bars 1890 - 1960, 1970s, Cemetery, Defining Defiance: Sex, Department of Corrections, Detention Centers, Dr Michael Rembis, Geneva History Centre, Geneva Illinois, Geneva Illinois Girls School, graveyard, Illinois State Training School for Girls, Juvenile justice, Maggie Foskett, reform school, Science and Delinquent Girls, Who Was Sadie Cooksie?, young offenders

Haunting Memory Finally Makes Sense

October 3, 2010 Cherie Bombell 1 comment

Tweet I recently read Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy Tyson. It helped me to make sense of an incident that happened at Geneva in the 70s – one that has haunted me since. A man that worked on Wallace Cottage sometimes made bad decisions. I’m going to call him Mr Jay. He played […]

Kids Behind Bars 1970s, African Americans, Blood Done Sign My Name, Department of Corrections, Geneva Illinois, Geneva Illinois Girls School, Illinois State Training School for Girls, incarcerated, life lessons, racism, Timothy Tyson, young offenders

Aerial Shot Geneva Girls School 1974

May 30, 2010 Cherie Bombell 16 comments

Aerial view of Illinois State Training School, Geneva, Illinois 1974

Kids Behind Bars 1970s, Department of Corrections, Detention Centers, Fox River, Geneva Illinois, Geneva Illinois Girls School, Illinois State Training School for Girls, Poverty, reform school

Learning about life from kids from the ghetto.

December 3, 2009 Cherie Bombell 26 comments

Tweet Exploring the life lessons taught to me by kids from the ghetto that were incarcerated at Illinois State Training School for Girls (later called Illinois State Training School after males were sentenced there). You’re welcome to share the journey with me and I’d love to hear your comments.

Kids Behind Bars 1970s, Geneva Illinois, ghetto, Illinois State Training School for Girls, incarcerated, life lessons, personal growth, social work