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.
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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.
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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
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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