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Above: louis S. Nelson -
Worden, Son Quenfin Stofe
Penrfentiory
left: lrving Morks -
Oepufy Superintendent,
Colifornro
lnsfifution
for Men
Below: Hoyt
C.
Cupp -
Superintendent, Oregon Sfofe
Penitentiory
Son Ouenlm
Wotson -
Plom Truth
Oregon Stato
Penilenliary
p ri ~o n
problcms would diminish.
Bur, unril we do. che prisons will
conrinue ro have disrupr ions.
MARKS:
Thc man coming
w
prison
roday is
rh~:
produce of our modcrn
agc. Thc racial disordcrs rhar have
occurrcd sincc rhc \'<fam rior havc
hada grear imp:Kt
on
him. Ourside
fruscrarion~
likc
rhe~c.
couplcd wirh
rhc dehumani1cd
factor~
and inrc:r–
nal frusrrarions insidc. combim: ro
produce c:xplosivc siruarion:. :.u<"h a'
exisr in prisons
CO{I.t\.
Q .
Do you fcel rhar che prison
syscem accually rei nforccs. rachcr
chao lessens, c riminal behavior?
NE1$0N: In a
scnsc, yc:.. Bur nor in
che sensc mosr pcoplc mean ir rodar.
1
say rhac for chis reason. Toda
y.
wc
PLAIN TRUTH September·October 1972
ger ar our doorsrep. wirh few excep·
rions, people who have been
chrough all che schools of crimc
long before rhey came here. • evcr
bcfore, in al! my life, have l seen
such a bicrer. vengeful, sophiscicarcd
group of prisoners as are coming ro
prison rodav. The ··schools for
crime'' are our rhere in che srrcers
where rhese people live. nor primar·
ily in rhe prisons.
CUPP:
\XI'hen we reccivc a hoscilc
ancl aggressive young kid in hcre,
rhcre is no doubr rhar he is going ro
b<.: exposed
w
more sophi scicacccl
crim inal behavior rhan he has cvcr
known. If his arrirude is receptivc ro
chis. as
it
oftcn is, he will definitely
pick up criminal reaching of a
"higher order."
MARKS:
O verall.
I'd
havc ro say
rh:H our prisons do reinforce crimi·
n:d beha,·ior.
~[ose
prisons are
schools for crime - somcrhing
nonc of us is proud of. !',·e ralked ro
lircralk hundreds of mcn who rold
me rhar if rhey had nor become
··hooked" by che sysrem afrer rheir
firsr oflense for which rhey werc
caughr. rher wou ld noc have endcd
up in prison.
Q.
Do many prisoners feel char
rhey were the unlucky ones who
gor caughr while rhc resc of
sociery "gor away wirh
ir' '?
NEtSON:
Y
es. rhis has becn
a
major
problem cver sincc prisons were (irse
instiruced. Mosr
of
chem feel rhac
"cvcrybody sins, bur we gor
caughr." On rhe orher hand. rhc
inmarcs we used coger rwcnry ,·cars
ago generalh· felr rhar what
che~
had
done wasn't righr. Many. in onc
scnse. were glad rhar
che~
got
caughr because ir kepr rhem from
going on ro bigger
~tnd
more hor–
rcndous rhings. Thcy ar
lea~r
fdc
.1
lirrle compuncrion in wanring ro do
bem:r. Then ctme along a ne\'
breed
of
prisoncrs schooled in rhe
philosoplw of che bch.tvioral scicn–
tisrs - ""Sociery is rorally ro blamc.
olicnders have no gu ilr wharsocver."
Toclav. many inmares have fallen
prcy ro rhi:. kind of crroneous rhink–
ing.
~[osr
inmarcs are receprive ro
rhb kincl of reasoning because ir
helps expiare rhcir own guilc.
CUPP: 1
n.:ally chink mosr prisoners
feel rhar rheir incarcerarion is unfair.
1
r is rrue rhar mose pcople in jail are
che unsuccessful criminals. Acrually.
we rcceivc only a small percenrage
of rhosc involvccl in rhe criminal
parrcrn - che failures who gor
caughr ami conv icred. This is one of
thc rnain rcasons why
1
feel rhar che
prisons will ncver really make
a
dent
in Amcrica's crime problcm.
Q .
\.'V'hac role does che family
play in prevencing
e
rime and in
cscablishing a successful rehabili–
carion program?
Naso':
I r
should go wichour sar–
in,g chat crime rates are much lower
among rhose crhnic groups with
strong famih ries. But one of our
big,gesr problems in rchabiliraring
che~
men
1s
acrempring
ro
reesrab–
lish f.1mily ties which were unsaris–
t:Krory or nonexisrent.
ClrPP:
As
1
~e
it.
the {ami/y ho/ds
the ke¡
if we are cver going ro srop
crimc in America. Most criminals
hcrc come from broken homes -
psychologically or lircrally - wich
no
communica rion. no warmth. As
far
as che
f:unily's
role
in rehabilica–
rion,
1
rhink it's vcry importanr.
The firsr couple of rimes a gu)· gets
~cnr
w
jail. his family will usually
srick wirh him.
By
che rhird or
fourrh rime, rhey will begin
ro
disown him. and prerry soon he
is
increasingh alicnared from rhose
linb rhar would most serve
ro
reha–
bilitare him
family and friends.
Thc mon:
he
bewmes involved in
criminal behavior. che more he i::;
shunncd
hr
his resources of srabilin
;tnd solidarirv. If
we
are ever going
ro
rcsrore thesc men. we are going
ro havc ro reverse rhis q·de and ger
rhcsc mcn ba<"k inro rheir familv
un1
rs.
45