This archive is a work in progress and does not comprise a full list of Jon Burge’s torture survivors. Furthermore, Burge is just one of many Chicago police officers with a documented history of torturing people in their custody. Current estimates put the number of Chicago-area torture survivors in the hundreds, but the true number and scale of the violence may never be fully known.

If you are a police torture survivor and would like to submit your story to the archive, please complete this form and we will pair you with an editor in order to create a profile. We welcome your letters, photos, case materials, and any other records you'd like to provide. We can help you scan your records to create digital copies if you don’t want to part with the physical materials; just let us know you’d like help with scanning when you submit your form.

If you are researching a matter related to police torture in Chicago history — whether as a student, academic, journalist, or independent researcher — and you’d like further assistance, the CPTA’s archivist will be happy to help. We can work with you on things like navigating the site, interpreting the case documents, choosing or honing a research topic, and connecting you to other relevant sources. To begin, email chosy@invisibleinstitute.com with your question, a description of your research project, and any relevant deadlines you may have; you’ll hear back within 2 business days.

If you have any other questions or feedback about the project, feel free to email us at info@invisibleinstitute.com.

You can support further development of the archive and documentation of police torture throughout Chicago history by donating: