From behind the wall
ky U w y
OAF.
FOB THIS 8FBCIAL INTERVIEW
the O.8.P. G uard* Union president.
Henry Jobonoa, wbo hold* th * rank of
•argeant. referred are to one of the
longest end dghly respected union
member*. Sargeant John Nolan.
John Nolan will aoon celebrate hb 20th
year ae a guard at O.S.P., and at the
preeent time b the senior security officer
of the O.8.P. Education Department. A
man SO year* of age, Nolan became
employed aa a correctional officer in IM S.
He In * aeon many change* nude ia the
every day prieon routine. He ha* aeon
many administrative. treatment and
vocational program*, along with many
inmate* and guard* come and go.
On June 17, 1977. 1 eat down to
interview Sargeant Nolan and these
Q-— Sargeant Nolan, what is the purpose
of a guards' union at O.8.P.7
N*faa.....Thb wae answered by the U.8.
Supreme Court ia 1989 when it declared
The National Labor Relation * Act eonsti-
have a right to
far Lawful
hToffirere.
1
o u te f
wfth**n
he same aa a
wee haa a right to select
m stated, “we organised
of the aituaitona, that a
Ipfeee ia dealing
i a poor excuse to
save a few dollar* on union dues. The
iasuee are basic wages, benefits, and
with a large
net keep ia mind th at
■trong union b our
Any employe* that
does not take out membership ia a lawful
union b Uttlo more than a free-loeder. We
a l must help pay the coat of unions or
■ ■ M l people wiB be set back "90
year*." Remember, by youraeif, all you
have to soil an *s*plnysr b your work,
and that b not muck whan a large
of people are unemployed.
the O 3 F . Guard Union b
with the A FL-C IO . hew much
SUJO a I
f
The following day, th b reporter met
with the 0 .8 J». Guards’ Union President,
Sgt.
«» far additional comment.
Johnson stated that of the 888 potential
members at O.8.P., 190 had joined since
the founding in 1972 of the urnon.
if
erste on a
sort of feel
and in the old days«
people csn't
pronoun or handle
authority. Ho should be a person who b
willing to go strictly by the book (Rules
and Regulations of Prieon Procedure
Manual), not a person with double stand
srds. He must bo very even temepred.
and for my personal opinion, he should bo
over the age of thirty. Education plays a
part, but not the largest pari
Q.....How do w * improv* the quality and
staying power of guards?
FT it—
We get the state legislature to
allocate sufficient fund* to hire a higher
quality, more dedicated type of man and
to provide a more comprehensive train
ing program.
Q... .Why b the hiring of Black guards for
O.8.P. duty so hard?
Nofen.....The reason Black* don't want to
work at O.8.P. b because to do so they
must live in Salem. Let's face it, there b
very little social life for Black people in
Salem.
Q...,.Do you believe Oregon has Blacks
qualified to work as correctional officers?
Naina.....YES.
Q....JHow should we go about recruiting
thee* qualified Blacks?
Nelen ...Ju st like anyone elee. They
apply and go through the same pro
cedure*. But we don't go out and recruit
Blacks and sneak them through the back
door.
Q..... Over the years, how has the relation
ship betwen guard end inmate changed?
Netea.....It's improved tremendously.
Years ago, aa inmate who even carried on
a friendly conversation with a guard was
ostentiatiously named aa a “snitch.''
<J..—How about between guard and
adminaitration?
N*lan.....Also tremendously improved
through the efforts of the union and
improved working conditions.
Q-.—Do you believe a guard should be in a
decision
process Cor an inmates
rehabilitation?
Nefea__ Yes, definately. When even the
Parole Board b having problems reaching
a deebton on aa individual, they should
ask the advice of a guard. We feel we are
closer to them and know their problems
beet, better than just words on a piece of
paper or a five minute pre-parole appear
ance interview.
Q ~_There b talk of ex-cone becoming
guards and counselors ia many prisons
across the country, because they have
lived the experiences of being in prison
.m t
relate to tbs inmates, also.
H al—
’r v ~ day that happens in this
institution, that's tbs day H l quit.
ne. But today, we have I
of
on the job cannot be denk
joba in tb b prieon, if they are <
The union protects a
Q.....What b your picture of the i
guard working in the average
The
union was organised by the employee* at
O.8.P. and was tbs largest group ever to
join the American Federation, State.
County and Municipal Employee Branch
(A F8C M E ).
For personal comment, Sgt. Johnson
states that, “Blacks, as well as other
minorities, have never truly tried to get
into the prison work bore in the State of
Oregon.“ Johnson also states that he does
not believe the IBS million the r ir ie
legislature appropriated for Corrections
th b year was wbo, because he leans more
to restoring prisons back to punishment.
He believes that the real work in rehabili
tation should be directed toward the
youth and it would take many years
before any meaningful resu lts could be
soon. J n ha arm b a strong believer in
restoring tbs Oregon death penalty,
along with a much larger mental health
program at O.S.P.
The O A P . Guards’ Union b working
toward a more efficient training program
■mt cortificntfoo of all Correctional
.T h b b o o t the type of work that
IT TAKES GUTS
TO 8TAY OUT OF PRISON
Anyone playing with a fulldeck and ten
fingers of smarts who experience« the
correctional system from the inside as a
prisoner can see where it has failed and
why.
Being innocent in the bargain
simply enhances the objective/subjective
parallax effect.
The recidivism rate is rampant. Too
many people come back too many times.
Why? Perhaps the nwet fruitful line of
thought to arrive at an answer to thb, as
yet obviously unanswered question, b to
ask what these people lack that others
have. W hat social tools are they missing?
I t certainly isn't guts or strength of will,
because many of them repeatedly com
mitted crimes that subjected them to
grave danger. I t b n ’t lack of skills or
education alone or the present system of
“rehabilitation” would have appreciably
lowered recidivsim. I t hasn't.
The most prominent feature lacking
from most correctional incarcerees is a
healthy superego.
In psychoanalytic
theory, the superego is the moralistic
component of personality. Malformation
or lack of an intersocial moral structure in
a criminal opelis “misanthrope“ and
“psychopath" (either negative or missing
feelings about one's interrelationship
with society).
8o far, in th b area, the correctional
bureaucracy has been playing sero-sum
game. They give the person an education
and teach him/her a skill, assuming that
so equipped, success in the “real world"
will be assured. T h b , to me, b like
teaching a person a l about carts, and
never even mentioning the horse.
W hat to do?
You can’t force feed society’s impres
sion of morality into these people; they'll
just spit it up. But you can strike a spark
of self-awareness ia them and help them
to nurture it.
Modern Psychology,
Transactional Analyab. A the “I ’m O.K.
You're OJC.” position can be taught. The
individual can be helped, not pushed, to
develop or repair his/her own superego
structure. The goal not being to fit into
society, but rather to be happy and well-
adjusted to oneself. A person so equip
ped will fit into society as a positive aide
effect. Responsibility tor thoughts trans
lates as responsibility for actions.
It
takes guts to undergo the necessary
self-analysation, but as I said, these
people don’t seem to be lacking in that
Unless you are a sex-offender, or have
a drug or alcohol problem, there are
presently no psychiatric or psychological
programs available at 0L8.P. ^ “-No
funding" we are told; which brings me to
my final point.
Bureaucracies and legislatures, in spite
of much hot air to the contrary, tend to
exhibit th b same lack of a viable super
ego structure. Anyone who doubts th b
should read “The Peter Principle“, “Park
inson's Law”, and M artin’s “Malice in
Blunderland". For myself, I will just
point out the obvious ineffectuality of
government today. When presented with
a problem, they tend to beat it* effect
over the head instead of going after its
cause. Our case ia point b an example:
failure to recognise the cause of recidiv
ism or do anything effective about
A ll I can say b . your government won't
be responsible unless you fares it to be. I t
must have it* own excrement rubbed in
it* foes before it will realise what a mess
it b making.
“Government by the
people” means that yea take part. So if
you want to be more secure in your home
tan do something abut th b “comedy of
ir o n .
One word of warning though:
It's
Bereoa Child Care Ceatar
ironic that it was Niccolo Mschbvelli wbo
pointed out that “...It must he remem
bered that there b nothing more difficult
to plan, more doubtful of success, nor
more dangerous to manage than the
creation of a new system.
For the
initiator has the enmity of all who would
profit by the preservation of the old
in stitu tion s and m erely lukew arm
defenders in thorn who should gain by the
new ones...”
I have accepted the import of thb
maxim and opted to proceed. You must
decide for yourself.
4822 N. Vancouver Avenue
A Practical Child Development Program
Ages 2'/» - 7 years
Openings -- CSD -- 4C -- Private
Call 2 8 b 0 5 3 0
by Abdel Whabaad Madyun
GUARANTEED
A.K. A. WOfom C. Greedy 38099
REPAIRS
A L E T T E R OF CONERN
It is hoped that thb letter will generate
a mutual interest, commitment, and an
active involvement between concerned
citizens of the community and squally
concerned inmates here at the prison in
Salem.
You might ask, “How can a person wbo
has been convicted of a crime against hb
community be concerned about tbs health
and welfare of that community?
When a man finds himself locked in a
cage he begins to reflect on how he has
gotten into th b situation. In reflecting on
the cause of hb predicament he b seeking
some degree of truth within himself. In
seeking truth, he will find (in most eases)
that it was hb own actions that led to hb
imprisonment and it b hb own actions
that will free him and keep him free.
A t th b point he can do one of two
things: He can choose to remain in hb
former frame of mind sad continue to set
up negative causes (criminal behavior)
which, undoubtedly, will result in neg
ative effect*. Or. he can reorder k b life,
transform it, and develop within himself,
natural, healthy human traits by taking
on healthier habits, thus, enabling him to
set up positive causes (positive thoughts,
attitudes, and behavior) that w ill bring
him positive effects Ls. peace of mind,
freedom from criminal behavior, etc.
When a man takes on healthy human
habits, attitudes and characteristics, he b
HowMMmt.rat.ing some concern for hb
moral, mental and spiritual self, which
naturally grew * into a concern for the
moral, mental and spiritual health of the
community as a whole once the self a* aa
individual recognises its relationship and
responsibility to the many selves that
make up the whole (society).
Now, I know that not everyone here b
concerned with the health and welfare of
the community but there are those wbo
are striving to improve themselves by
taking on positive habit*, attitudes and
qualities so as to be aa asset ia the
communities to which they w ill eventu
ally return. That b why I said, "Con-
ALL MAKES
ba ° s
HOSES
FREE
NEW A USED
ESTIMATES
FOR SALE
MOST MAKES
R IM K A ELECTRIC CO.
1804 N .L UNION
287-9420
C m
m
Naw and Save!
W e are concerned because we have
come to know the causes, by reflecting on
our own, and ws see clearly the destruct
ive effects of s pimp-prostitute, stay high
and party, give me your money or your
life type mentality. We are concerned
because we see our future loaders being
crippled and destroyed by th b destruct
ive mentality which in many cases
becomes even more destructive after
being expoeed to the negative influence*
of a prison environment.
I t b with th b concern that we are
calling on all concerned d tb e n *. political
and religious organisations, dvie groups,
youth programs, etc. to meet with us to
explore any and all areas where we might
share our ideas, knowledge, time, energy,
labor and experience in a concerted effort
to rid our communtt.be of the moral,
mental and spiritual pollution that b
clearly choking the life out of us and our
future.
MAYTAG
M AYTAG
Heavy Duty
7 Washers
Save N ow on
Maytag Dependability
YMCA begins summer camp season
For youngsters 8 through 10, there are
three day camps, conveniently located for
parents ia Vancouver, Portland Westside
County. Day campers
i new arts and crafts, swim and
have the time of their lives.
Kids 8 through 18 are eligible to attend
Camp Collins, located on the Sandy River
just outside Gresham and adjacent to
Oxbow B u te Park. For teenagers Camp
Moehan on Spirit Lake in Washington
offers aa opportunity for wilderness
backpacking instruction and increased
awareness of nature and all it offers.
For experienced backpackers, special
arrangements may be made to attend
PORTIAKO
CIEANING WORKS
Camp Halton in the Wallowa Whitman
Natton»! Forest.
All Y M C A camps are co-ed. Scholar
ship aid b available to those in financial
need. The Y M C A b a member of United
Way. For additional information contact
your local Y M C A center.
Y centers
include the Northeast Y M C A . 281-1189;
John r. Leach Center, 775-4898; Metro
Center, 228-9822; and the Vancouver
Center at 89V8414.
.
____
■
- ..............-
..............................
FOR
BRANDS
you
' V A R IE T IE S
282-8341
KNIT BLOCKING OUR SPECIALTY
3060 N. WWarm Ava.
I. Alexander, Proprietor
J
S IZ E S
you
It n o * *
you
wont
I.U ,
Buffet dining on
3rd floor
________ Fairview Terrace
Post time 7 30 p m
Monday thru Saturday
For information
and reservations
__________ call 885-2191
Sorry, no Sunday racing
and no children
______________ under 12
At Fairview Park
NE 223rd and Halsey St
east out Freeway Bantield
(ISON)
l|,fk
_
Í Pow er
îl) is h « a s h e K '^ ^ r
Air conditioned
4th door Club Skyview
IE N O W S
NORTH S NX. PORTLAND
O N I BAY SOIVIC8
7 3 0 PM
SHOP
.............
Í
Ask about Special installation offer
w e give you m o r e . . .
r
a
r
a
hom e fu rn is h in g s
30th and S.E. Division
Shop W eekdays 0 to 9
Saturday N 6
234-9351
Closed Sunday
lERRSilMMmiNSBWnwssSMnsWMSS