Paga 4 Portland Observer October 25. 1979
Lucid Walls o f Time
Behind the Wall
by Larry Baker »35021
O.S.P. Correspondent
THE GARY PERLSTEIN STORY
Once a year ‘ ‘ Behind the Walls"
tries to place a spotlight on an in
dividual it feels has been most effec
tive over a period o f time by con
tributing something o f value through
their profession toward advancing
humanitarian treatment in jails and
prisons in Oregon.
Although this display o f action is
quite new in many o f our institutions
and in jails in many parts o f the
state, because the average citizen is
not aware what actually exists behind
bars and walls that are manned with
guns twenty-four hours a day.
Televison
and
newspaper
headlines have projected an image
that most human beings who are
forced to live under these conditions
are something inhuman, beastly and
com pletly u n fit to ever live in
society again.
Only a few know and understand
this is not true. Most men and
women who have been convicted o f a
crime, and placed in places o f con
finement, are normal people, sorry
that they have broken the law and
trying to repay that debt to society as
the law prescribes. In many cases
that debt is never paid because of the
stigma one must carry with them for
the rest o f their lives after once being
convicted.
There are fewer yet, who work
very hard most o f their lives to main
tain decent treatm ent and con
ditions, and adequate care which
means keeping up w ith modern
changes and times. W ith today's
technology there is no reason
prisons, jails, and hospitals should
have to revert back to the darkage
methods.
‘ ‘ If we must cage men and women,
then let’ s make sure they are treated
like human beings and not
a n im a ls ," stated Gary Perlstein,
Associate
D ire ctor
ol
Ad
m inistration o f Justice, Portland
Stale University. ‘ ‘ Because 99 per
cent o f our incarcerated people in
Oregon w ill someday be released
back in to society to h op efu lly
become productive citizens. And
only then w ill we be able to judge if
our prisons and jails have created a
monster or released a human being.”
Behind the Walls has chosen
Dr. Gary Perlstein as its Award
Winning Penal Humanitarian for
1979 in Oregon.
Cops and robbers, crime, police
brutality and discrimination are not
Julius Snowden 38013
Editor
David Crawford »39830
Assistant Correspondent
LOVE
Love is like a rose so new;
Soft the petals, in the morning dew.
Upon the vine, which it grows;
So beautiful to see, so graceful to hold;
The bud o f life, so new so young,
To hold one’s life within as one
To bloom within the morning sun.
new subjects to Gary Perlstein. Being
o f Jewish decent and learning such
names as Auschwitz, Buchenwald
and T re b lin ka (Germ an concen
tration camps) became a realist pic
ture in Perlstein’ s mind as a youth in
evening family discussions.
Born in New York C ity (1940),
Gary attended grade school at P.S.
28 known for its many fights during
those years. But Perlstein managed
to graduate form the School o f In
dustrial Arts in the city.
Moving to Kansas City, Missouri
in 1956, Perlstien attended Kansas
C ity Junior College and in 1961
recieved his Bachelor's degree at
Payette University.
BEAUTIFUL
Beautiful born is a woman, young;
To see, to hold, to live as one;
To shine within the morning sun,
To stand upright and be as one;
To love, to cherish, to hold as one,
The beauty o f such a cherished one.
With jails and prisons still burning
his mind as a youth, Perlstein decided
to invest his education in the area of
criminology and corrections and in
1965, he recieved his master's at the
University o f Missouri.
Perlstein realized for him to receive
enough recognition and in order to be
an expert in those areas, so to be able
to make any needed changes in the
country’s penal system, he would have
to acquire a PhD, which he did in
1971 at the University of Florida.
When asked what is the main d if
ferences in Florida prison system and
Oregon’s, Perlstein quickly replied,
"The access to the prison for families
o f prisoners. Where Florida prisons
are located right on the edge o f the
Everglades, where Oregon peniten-
tiarys are right in the middle o f its state
Capitol, family involvment is one of
the most important value in a prison
er’ s needs toward straightening out
his life.”
Perlstien continued, "Prisons which
are accessable to the public usually
have nothing to hide.”
Dr. Gary Perlstein accepted the
associate Professorship at Portland
State University in 1972 and helped
Dr. Lee Brown establish the
curriculum for the Department of
Adm inistration o f Justice at the
University. In Perlstein's departmental
guidelines, the advisor-major ratio has
been consistently higher than the
University average. Perlstein is respon
sible for academic advising ol at least
75 students and every summer, he
works without salary advising students
during Fall pre-registration. Perlstein
was appointed associate member of
the Governor’ s task force on correc
tions with specific duties on the Com
munity Correction Sub-Committee;
the committee responsible for
developing the Oregon Com m unity
GARY PERLSTEIN
Corrections Act.
In 1976, Perlstein was appointed as
a member o f the advisory committee
for the M ultnom ah County Rocky
Butte Replacement Study and in 1978
was appointed to the Citizen's A d
visory Board to Multnomah County
Department of Justice Services.
Perlstein's research activities were
followed by the publishing o f his book
“ Alternatives to Prison" which sold
over 12,000 copies. From 1975-1977,
Perlstien served as chairman o f PSU
Campus Safety and Security Commit
tee. But P e rlste in ’ s brightest
achievement has been specialization in
the area o f community-based correc
tions and employment opportunities
o f certain m inority groups (woman,
racial and ethnic and ex-offenders).
He has became nationally and inter
nationally known as an authority in
this area.
One ol Dr. Gary Perlstein's major
complaints is treatment in corrections
concerning the ex-offender, " I believe
it is totally ridiculous for society to
continue to punish them after they
have served their sentence,” states
Perlstein. He makes reference to all
civil rights not being restored.
Another ol Perlstein’ s major com
plaints deals in the area of correctional
treatment programs. "Anyone who is
honest with himself and others knows
that there is not one method o f treat
ment that will be successful with all o f
fenders. Unfortunately most correc
tional programs utilize only one
method o f treatment. W hat this means
is for those offenders who are unable
to be helped by the particular method
being employed are doomed to failure.
One solution is to have several
methods o f treatment available. So, if
one is not working another can be
utilized.”
Dr. Perlstein followed up this
statement by saying, “ This problem is
seen clearly in the "Scared Straight”
concept fo r juveniles. While this
program is not for all juvenile offen
ders, there are some who would profit
from it. Not having it available means
that those who would profit from it.
Not having it available means that
probably become adult offenders.
Dr. Gary Perlstein has lectured to
inmates enrolled in the College courses
at the Oregon State Penitentiary and
was greatly surprised by the number of
those wishing to enter the field o f
corrections upon release.
One personal feat was his advising
o f an inmate on how to develop a
prisoners and com m unity legal
awareness group session, which has
been active over the past two and half
years and which is considered one o f
the successful programs behind the
walls. The group has drawn legal ex
perts as lecturers at its weekly
meetings.
This week column “ Behind the
W alls" salutes Dr. Gary Perlstein as
the "Community person o f the mon
th ." He has earned it.
Body and Fender trade beckons student
For three hours every afternoon
Kathy Hoxworth dons a helmet and
a pair o f gloves and begins her work
as a student in the auto body welding
class at P ortland C om m unity
College Rock Creek Center. " I lecl
out of place,” said Kathy, "b u t it’s
not a p ro b le m .” She’ s the only
woman in the class.
Although students are usually left
alone to do their own work, Kathy
said she can call on the men in her
class for help whenever needed. Just
the other day she had to ask one of
her male classmates to help unscrew
"AND NOW"
And now the love o f life I hold
A new born beauty, a woman whole;
To look upon the new at life;
To see the beauty within a wife,
To touch one's heart and open mind;
And cherish beyond the end o f time.
a fittin g on her equipm ent -he
couldn't get it o ff either!
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Kathy added that she operates at
a disadvantage, since most o f the
men in her class have had live or six
years o f previous welding experience.
But she said Dionne’ s patience has
been a big help.
He added that the “ women have a
tendency to th ink fo r themselves
more than the men and they’re very
good with their hands.”
Dionne said that Kathy might be
an exception to the rule, since she
K K K K "
» »
EXODUS
seems to be doing well. " I ’ m hanging
in there” said Kathy, evaluating her
own performance.
Paul Dionne, Kathy’ s instructor,
said that women generally have a
hard time holding their own in his
class. " I don’t think a lot o f them are
as m echanically inclined as the
men,” noted Dionne.
by Ralph R. Maring
PORTLAND OREGON 9721 1
284 7997
EXODUS
Kathy is now in her third term o f
auto body, having already completed
two terms o f painting. She said she
hopes to continue on and finish the
two year program.
OCTOBER
FOLLOW-THROUGH
K n o w in g F ollow -T hrough Keys is Im p o rta n t
Building Material
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For instance, can you recognize the key to the following objectives?
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key to happiness
key to health
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W hat is
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Can you identify the keys to:
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Answers to these questions will be shared by Dr. Thomas Boothe, Director of
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