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Eyewitnesses Office
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Recording and preserving the ex-inmates memories is a key part in present and future research work in the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen remand prison. This task is carried out by the Eyewitness Office, which maintains contact with the ex-inmates and documents the history of their imprisonment. The Eyewitness Office also collects prison records and interviews former prisoners about their experience here. Questionnaires are used to collect data on the prison, and this information is then transferred to a data base.
Since the Eyewitness Office was founded in 1996, more than 1000 eyewitnesses have contacted it (as of 31.12.2003). Contact usually begins with an initial discussion and asking the eyewitness to fill in the questionnaire. This process is then carried on, where possible, with a structured interview, which is then transcribed and archived. Nearly 450 eyewitnesses have taken part in this process so far. The Eyewitness Archive has 1415 transcribed interviews, providing an important source for historical research.
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