Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1978)
opinion airs Jails no place for TV hearings Lane County jail, which has lots of its inmates sleep ing on the floor in its old facilities, now wants to put them in front of closed-circuit TV. The county’s jail superintendent, Capt. Paul Bailey, has proposed installation of a closed-circuit television system, which could, among other uses, link inmates’ cells with the courtroom for electronic arraignments. In the words of the innovating official, “The defense attorney would be here (in the jail) with his client, and the prosecution would be over in the courtroom with the judge. And you don’t have to move people.” The TV set-up would save time, effort and money, according to Bailey. Well, in general we don’t expect jailers to focus on the needs of their prisoners, but rather to consider measures for their security and convenience value to jail operations. So, Bailey has not really failed our expectations but he has failed in the matter of prisoner rights. The proposal for electronic court procedures de nies an accused person the constitutional right of con fronting his accusers, the judge, jury and officers of the court. Such “modernizations” reek of the secret tribunal, the dungeon (admittedly with better lighting) and a cer tain medievality in attitudes about a jailer’s domain. Intimidation, even forced pleas could be accomp lished within the closed environment of a jail only tenu ously connected with the public realm of the courtroom. Fortunately, Bailey doesn't hold final authority in implementing his proposal. And those who have the authority, don’t have the jailer’s enthusiasm for the innovation. Circuit Court Judge Roland Rodman, while noting that the TV set has been used in Oregon trials in which the defendant had become unruly, remains skeptical about its use for reasons of “economy or convenience.” He could well have in mind the dehumanizing quality that television could force on judge and jurors for whom the defendant becomes just a distant figure on a screen. Beyond the legal issues lies a morp basic, human consideration: the psychological and emotional impact of imprisonment. Anyone who has been on the wrong side of the bars, knows that each moment outside the cell has an intrinsic value. Journeys to court — like weekend fur loughs, work release and recreational excursions — mean a momemtary escape from bondage. Lane County doesn’t need the one-stop legal ser vice envisioned by the proposal. The county could save considerable expense in time and tax money by just forgetting about it. IW AT UX&C iom) rjkS? w. f W INS FAT OP OOP /ft* H6UW7HF UJtVPOO) iWSAVS, *&eu£i &7T OFF Tie, S1P66T e/u AUP HB 1N&5 fftW FH&A1V6&S piuuez-Atop m wvb 1&CH M5 mJ/S AUP Me back td IW R0<5M yours ' A quack remedy On Dec. 5 John Crowley reported in the Emerald on the growth group Awareness Realization Actualization Seminars and its leader Bob Trask. Crowley explained that Trask and his company ARAS purportedly offer the public a process and system that will allow one to understand oneself and accompanying belief systems. A belief system is the result of im pressions attitudes and observations one has been subjected to for one’s entire life. The result after his training, Trask claims, is the ability to edit oneself and attitudes and allow one to lead a full, exciting and meaningful life. This group cannot and will not accomplish this much desired change if anything, it will hinder it. Trask asks that you accept what fie has to say. Not to believe it but not disbelieve it. What the hell does this mean? Is it possible to believe and not be lieve in something at the same time? I think not. u>m i CRV AU mtT AJJP CALL MV MOTHER IV W HCRVI06 mxpiell HER IM COHI0& home. AMP MV FATHER kftcm w? %ws;haru>t, IF VO> SHOU) HOUR HEAP W T^TOOJV „ ill shoot ho) €>*71 fti&> — /7-y What Trask and his associates ask you not to think but to accept. He tries to convince you that your entire life can be examined and understood in a few short days. He tells you to accept that this understanding can be trans lated into positive action and change again, in a few short days. Trask's arguments are encapsuled in a series of one-liners intermixed with simplistic diagrams which seem, without dose examination, to be of obvious truth. He claims his proces ses are open to all who wish to lead a full, exciting and growing life. Who could turn down an offer like that? For only $350 he and his group will lead you through a process that will show you that the problems that worry you most are not so horrible or even significant. In this respect he is finally talking straight. In themselves these problems are no< horrible but what he and his group never address is the fact that the un derlying neurosis that brought about these problems are significant. Trask’s processes or exercises do not, nor are capable of uncovering what is behind these problems, which KErUxrz. olKut/, LHoe&mwsr IS MV U&toP ram* a 'r00ti6 CARls ItiA FtX-CO&HOHe toPM66T HP FAM/LV * tingly cover up or hide their neuroses and find a group who supports this hiding. Trask gets his money; you get your high. He gets a fuH and exciting life living off your money, and you get a group of friends who talk and think like you. Douglas Kornfield Senior, Landscape architecture Recycling a waste & ^ After watching the men in the Uni versity garbage truck at work, I con clude that the University is engaged in recycling at the bottom-most level. Item by item, the garbage is sorted by those men as they stand in the huge bins. Salvage is on the spot for returnable bottles and anything that might take the individual employee’s fancy. It seems to be a very time consuming process! Can the Oregon taxpayer afford to subsidize such mi nute sorting of University garbage? Who controls such procedures? Richard Seven senior, Journalism is something of infinitely more impor tance than the problems themselves. What the processes do is make you high. The subject leaves the ex ercise with the impression that by forgetting his problems he is "cured" and ready to lead a new life. This result is what is frightening. The "cure" is much like an opiate; it cov ers up the symptoms yet does no thing to cure the disease. It's a quack remedy! The problems and neurosis of ones life are the result of a lifetime of experiences, attitudes and influ ences much of which occur on the unconscious level. A few hours, days or even months of ARAS or for that matter any growth group can not even hope to uncover the back ground of ones personality much less allow one to change those aspects one feels undesirable. Trask in reality offers a love and support high that will temporarily al leviate the symptoms of underlying neurosis. He offers a few phrases to administer to these problems and a group of fellow believers to offer sup port. The sad result is people who unwit
