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cion. There rhey observed prisoners
being given che chance ro develop
personal responsibiliry and decision–
making. Hardened criminals were
learning how co rule cheir own acri–
tudes and behavior in a relaxed, flex–
ible prison environment unlike any
ocher in che world.
A consrirucion, drawn up by
inmare "residenrs" (whar rhe prison–
ers now call rhemselves) in conjunc–
rion wirh che adminiscrarion, allows
prisoners co have a personal pare in
learning principies of governmenr
and responsibility. In
ir
are provisions
for a residenc govcrnmenc composed
of officials elecced from among che
inmares ar large. This enables che
prisoners ro learn leadership and ac
che same rime co cake pare in che
process of self-rule.
Under che new organizacion,
inmares are given che opporruniry ro
iniciare cercain changes. The major
ones imposed chus far have included
che eliminacion of che strip cell, che
censorship of mail, and che checking
of icems coming inro che insritucion.
The prisoners know rhar wirh rhese
privileges comes che responsibilicy of
handling rhcm wich discrecion. Mis–
use could mean a recurn co che way
rhings were before - somerhing
none of rhem wanr.
There are ocher opporcunities for
inmaces co learn responsibility and
self-conrrol. Wichouc guards ac rheir
shoulders. che prisoners ofren pur
rheir bese fooc forward ro cake visicors
on regular rours of che insrirucion.
Those men noc serving fixed-rerm
senrences can
be
granred furloughs
lascing up co 30 days ro be spenr ac
home. Undcr che "Take a Lifcr co
Di nner" program, 1 ifers (ehose
serving a lifc scnrence) can be caken
co dinner by scaff members and guards
- something which makes rhese men
" RESIDENT" AT WALLA WALLA
sheds his prison uniform in favor of
more comfortab l e civi l ian str eet
clothes. This is all part of Washington
State Prison system's new approach in
its treotment of prisoners.
fecl chac rhere is even hope and con–
cern for chem.
Ingenuiry and crear•v•ry are
encouraged. The men are allowed
ro
decorare cheir cells according ro per–
sonal rasre. Sorne of che cells are so
lavishly decorarcd rhar from che
inside ir is nearly impossible ro cell
chac che enclosure is a prison cell. In
chis way. che men learn ro be con–
scrucrive and creacive in a posicive
manner.
When compared ro orher penal
inscicucions, che experimcnr chus far
works well. Ir dcmands che exercise
of characrer, Jeadership, and decision–
making on che parr of che prisoners
rhemselves - somerhing mosr
prisons fail
ro
reach. Mosr observers
feel char che innovarions constiture a
definire srep in che righc direccion.
Bur if
we
expecc Walla Walla - or
any prison - ro succeed in really
rackling che mouncing global prob–
lems of crime and violence, we are
greatly misraken
1
Prisons may be able
ro cake sorne definire sreps in che
righc direcrion. Buc
ro
ger ar che
hearr and core of che crime problem
involves much more rhan che prisons
are capable of handling.
Prisons are designed ro crear che
etfeccs of crime by imprisoning men
who have airead)' become criminaJs.
They are virrually powerless ro con–
trol che major
CAUSES
in sociery
which produce criminals in che firsr
place.
We will now focus our anemion
on chese causes, grouping rhem inro
four major caregories.
One: Crime's "Kindergarten"
- che Broken Home
Today's sociery, aJI roo ofren.
seems almosr geared ro che produc–
rion of criminals. Ir's as if che prisons
srand at che end of a long road lead–
ing from one "crime facrory" ro che
nexr. The srory of mosr criminals is
failure: failure ac school, failure on
che job, fai lure in pracrically every–
thing arrempred in life, including
crime, bur mosr of all, failure in che
home.
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