Portland Observer Thursday, November 9, 1978 Page 3
Behind the wall
Larry Baker 43502!
O.S.P. Correspondent
Julius D. Sno wden 438013
Poetry Editor
heading in that direction. A trouble
maker? Not necessarily — not if one
labels a trouble maker as a person
who w ill stand up and fight for what
he believes in.
He is well liked b> a few fellow
prisoners and feared by others —
he’s even accepted by some o f the
guards and prison officials — but to
most he is considered a “ nut.”
D anford, white, in his thirties,
slender, with shaggy brownish hair,
has an extraordinary talent not often
found behind the gun towers o f
O .S.P. D anford is a self-taught
writer — even compared to Cleaver,
Chessman or Bill Sands (noted con
vict writers).
Strange, but when Danford writes
on a subject (which is usually on con
troversial prison procedures or
prison life ) everyone listens, in
cluding most prison officials. Many
might not agree with his articles, but
each article has fo r some strange
m ysterious reason le ft room fo r
thought — just as the above letter
has.
How many inmates are having
their minds warped by length o f sen
tences and association?
How many men living under these
conditions, after surviving jails like
Rocky Butte, are learning hate where
once they may have had a little com
passion?
1$ this
prison
producing
tom orrow 's cold-blooded killers,
who w ill earn their right to that chair
in the gas chamber?
How phony are those false smiles
one must carry in order to impress
the guards or those in authority?
Are these some o f the suggestions
Danford might be referring to in his
letter? I f so, then Danford just may
be right. Society might just as well
"FOOD FOR THOUGHT"
To the Editor:
! ‘m in prison and I urge support o f
the death penalty.
Prison warps a man's perspective,
changes him fro m bad to worse, not
better. So society puts a murderer, a
rapist, a thief, in here, makes him
worse, and it should not be hard to
imagine what he w ill do when he gets
out o f prison.
There are some o f us in here who
cannot help ourselves, the prison
adm inistration cannot o r w ill not
help, and we know we are slowly,
surely, getting worse year q f ter year.
We play the game, we smile and
swear we w ill never commit another
crime, and we sometimes fo o l our
selves and the prison administration.
The death penalty would stop all the
fooling.
Donald Danford
There is a very special reason why
‘ ‘ Behind the W all” printed Donald
Danford's Letter to the Editor.
First, because it is an opinion not
normally expressed by the prisoners
at O.S.P., especially in such an en
vironment where individuals have
been known to take a human life
over a pack o f cigarettes.
Second, because one would be set
ting himself up to go against the
‘ code’ in destroying the image many
o f the convicts would wish the public
to have.
But Donald D anford is not the
typical convict that adjusts easily to
everyday prison life. When he isn’t
sittin g in isolation (the hole) he
usually finds him self getting into
situations that w ill have him
close the gates and turn on the gas.
But if there is just one among us who
might truthfully be trying to adjust in
order that he might live a more con
structive life — then Danford’s ar
ticle must leave room for all that the
Oregon State Penitentiary has to o f
fer.
T rue, this correspondent w ill
wholeheartedly agree that there are
many unjustices occurring inside this
prison. Many o f the staff that don’ t
give a damn about a convicted felon,
including some who even wear the
title o f “ help” (ministers, coun
selors, teachers and psychiatrists,
etc.). Many are here just for the
almighty dollar. But then there just
might be some who are here for the
real thing, and it is them who balance
the scale for the rest.
D on't get me wrong, because I
think the whole Oregon prison and
criminal justice stinks, but 1 have
seen worse. 1 believe much o f the
funds allotted to provide decent ser
vices and sound re h a b ilita tio n
programs, medical care and training
are being wasted adm inistratively
and that until it can get down to the
level where such services can bring
some positive results this prison and
any other prison w ill continue to
remain over-crowded, a failure, and
dangerous. It w ill be dangerous to
the point that many o f the inmates
w ill continue to smile and play the
games Danford expressed. The day
will come when many o f us w ill be
released back into society with a “ get
even’ ’ a ttitu d e , damaged by
memories o f years o f incarceration.
Prisons are a place to fear once
one has mentally learned to adjust to
it. The solitary cell becomes a rotten,
filthy hole, he can curse at the world
in silence.
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Units attack child abuse, neglect problems
District Attorney Harl Haas an
nounced the implementation o f a
Child Advocacy Unit in response to
the alarming rate o f child abuse and
neglect in Multnomah County.
Deputy District Attorney assigned
to the u n it w ill deal exclusively
w ith
the
investigatio n
and
prosecution o f cases in v o lv in g
physical and sexual abuse, serious
neglect and termination o f parental
rights for permanent adoption.
must be constantly alert for evidence
o f abuse, and investigate with ex
traordinary diligence and care.”
Last year alone, 279 protective
petitions were issued in Multnomah
County on behalf o f 432 children,
who had been illegally subjected to
sexual or physical abuse by their
parents. In 71 cases, children in those
situations could only be protected by
more drastic action such as ter
m in a tio n o f parental rights and
adoptive placement o f the children.
The new Child Advocacy Unit can
work toward insuring the safety o f
an even greater number o f children
who are victim s o f documented
abuse and neglect, by acting on the
child’s behalf to secure court custody
and placement in a foster home.
A dditiona lly, any crim inal pro
secution o f the a dult allegedly
responsible for the abuse or neglect
can now be coordinated within the
unit.
I f the family situation is amendable
to treatment, the child may return to
its natural home at some point, un
der the watchful eye o f the court.
U nder
severe
circum stances,
however, the Unit w ill be charged
with the responsibility o f securing
the termination o f parental rights.
T hrough a special contract w ith
Childrens Services Division and in
Multnomah County Commission
Chairm an Don C lark announced
that the Board o f Commissioners
approved a portion o f the effort — a
State-funded Parental Rights Ter
mination Project.
Clark said the project, funded by a
Childrens Services D ivision grant,
w ill provide “ a more permanent
solution for kids who have trouble in
the home.”
Haas stated, “ It has been our ex
perience that abuse usually occurs
behind the closed doors o f a child’ s
home. Abused and neglected
children are often silent victim s.
T heir parents w ill not speak fo r
them, and they are too young or too
frightened to speak for themselves.
“ Law enforcement and juvenile
tgencies raust reach out to help these
•hildren,” Haas continued. “ We
cooperation with the Juvenile Court,
the number o f termination cases filed
can now be doubled, insuring a
greater number o f children the right
to be permanently adopted rather
than kept in indefinite foster care.
“ The problem o f child abuse and
neglect cannot be fully understood
and met until elected officials accept
the need to place children firs t,”
Haas continued. “ This means com
m itting a top share o f community
resources and public support toward
children’ s advocacy and rehabilita
tion programs for youth.
.“ The abused and neglected child
must be the highest priority,” Haas
said. “ We are constantly witness to
the fact that abusing and neglectful
parents were once themselves abused
and neglected children. The failure
o f the state to intervene to protect
abused and neglected children, and
to guarantee adequate parenting,
results in another generation in
abusing and neglectful parents.
“ A d d itio n a lly , we fin d that
abused and neglected children are
more lik e ly to have d iffic u lty in
school and become involved in
delinquent behavior. W ith emotional
and educational handicaps, the child
w ill more often wind up an unem
ployed adult living o ff welfare and
crime,” Haas said.
Rocky Butte Jail
(Continued from Page 1 Column 5)
23 years (f age on a first or second
offense clurge. These younger men
were separated from the rest o f the
prison population fo r “ their own
protection’ as they are prime targets
for sexual ssault.
“ D ” ard “ O ” tanks are d o r
m ito ry types overcrowded to the
point wheie some inmates sleep on
the floor. *D” tank at the time o f
my visit hid “ six men on the flo o r,”
one electrc razor for 105 men, one
shower, fotr open toilets with a wet
concrete floor in the toilet area. “ D ”
and “ G” taik inmates are given one
towel a weex, one change o f clothes a
week, and one change o f sheets a
week. Call Mason, M u ltnom ah
C ounty Jail A d m in is tra to r, indi-
Intereabd in currant books
about African Liberation?
Visit:
JOHNREED BOOK STORE
In the Dakum Building
919 8 W 3rd Avenue
Sixth Floor
Or cdl:
227 2902
cated during a radio interview
(KBOO-FM “ As the W orld Churns”
Thursday evenings) which features
live interviews with inmates that a
new policy was instituted for clean
towels twice a week.
“ G” tank has two open toilets in
the front portion o f the tank. In
mates use these toilets in front o f the
television and other inmates, guards,
and sometimes nurses who may be
touring the tanks.
In “ D ” tank, other inmates point
ed out one inmate who has been
confined in this d o rm ito ry type
tank for three weeks and each night
sat on his bunk sobbing uncon
trollably. Although requesting to see
a doctor, he had not been able to do
so (no reason given). This inmate
stated he was severely “ depressed
and had been in Dammasch State
Hospital fifteen times.”
The last stop was the medical sec
tion where four employees, nurses
and clerks, were working on medical
records. A doctor is present fo r
about three hours (mornings, Mon
day through Friday) and a dentist
once a week fo r three hours. A
psychiatrist is in for four hours once
a week. These short schedules are for
over 400 men, all poor, “ whose
health may not be too good when
they come to Rocky Butte.” It was
pointed out that even when a doctor
is there inmates may not get to see
him since a guard must escort the
inmate to the medical ward and
"they are not always available.” No
“ preventive dental work is done”
just emergency type “ such as pulling
teeth, etc." Backlogs o f inmates for
medical treatment are continual and
can contribute to waits o f weeks.
As the Observer’s tour ended, it
was difficu lt to remember that most
o f these men held in the “ custody
and care” o f M ultnom ah County
had not yet been to trial. Therefore,
they are to be considered “ innocent
until proven guilty” according to our
justice system. Still they are forced to
live for months awaiting trial under
these conditions.
A citizens group has scheduled an
open meeting at the Centenary-
W ilbur Church, 215 S.E. 9th at 7:’ O
p.m. on Tuesday, November 7th to
hear a report from several members
on their tour o f Rocky Butte.
" I n many respects It is as in
tolerable within the United States as
was the institution o f slavery, equally
brutalizing to a ll involved, equally
toxic to the social system, equally
subversive to the brotherhood o f
man, even more costly by some stan
dards, and probably less rational. ”
E
X
O
D
U
S
1518 N.E KILLINGSWORTH
PORTLAND. OREGON 9721 1
284-7997
FACTS OF IMPORTANCE
VOLUME VI
NOVEMBER 1978
SERIES I
In keeping with Exodus Community Service
Policy, Exodus will host a Symposium on
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Problems.
Exodus will do this in coordination with other
agencies providing similar services.
The General Public is invited. The Symposium
will be held at:
EXODUS DAY TREATMENT
1223 N.E. Alberta
Portland, Oregon
284-1247
The meeting will be from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 15, 1978 while there is
no charge for the general meeting, a small
donation for lunch will be appreciated.
Judge James E. Doyle
Wisconsin, 1972
»