xt7sj38khj6n https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7sj38khj6n/data/mets.xml  Kentucky  1978 newsletters  English The Bureau of Corrections, Frankfort Kentucky  This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Physical rights are retained by the owning repository. Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Please go to https://exploreuk.uky.edu for more information. Kentucky Inter-Prison Press Journalism, Prison -- Kentucky The Kentucky Inter-Prison Press, July 1978 text volumes: illustrations 37 cm. Call Number: 17-C817I 8: The Kentucky Inter-Prison Press, July 1978 1978 1978 2022 true xt7sj38khj6n section xt7sj38khj6n   

u... KENTUCKY
INTER-Pills

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,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

GOV'T. PUB. DEPT;

AUG 1? 1978

> M. 1. KING LIBRAR!

EDDYVILIE FAR

  
   
 

 
  

DORMITORY

e LAGRANGE
C PEEWEE VALLEY

BLACKBURN 0

R HIDDEN VALLEY
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PINEVILLE

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VOLUME VI '

KSB ACTION Celebrates
Reorganization Efforts,

With Outside Speakers

By James R. Knodel

LA GRANGE—For the pre-
vious five months, the Action
Therapeutic Program has been
under stages of renovation.
The project entailed putting a
democratic policy into effect,
rewritflg the by-laws, and
finalizing a complete overhaul
of the club room in Dormitory

2.

To celebrate the completion,

* . Form Ball Team,

JoinLeague

By Don satterly

HIDDEN VALLEY—4:. The
warm weather days have
brought a new Outlook for the

' residents at the Eastern Ken-

tucky Career Development

. Center. The \long, hard pro.
cess of. moving the facility,
from Frenchburg to Hidden

Valley at Clay City had its.
rewards,‘ as the “Village

\ Idiots” softball team played

its third game in the Church
League sponsored by the
Powell County Ministerial
Association.

Reverend Brewer, pastor of

.the Powell Valley Church and

Institutional Chaplain, - has
gone all out to plan recreation
activities for the residents.
Also, superintendent Mike
Martin has not only enjoyed,

, but played on the team. Coach '
i Charlie Campbell seems _ to

7 believe that sooner or later the
" team will win one of the

multiple games they will be
playing. Their next game is

. between the Powell Valley
" Village Idiots and “Bad Brad”
' and the Saints. -

 

1.1mm...
%_

Temple in Louisville, and Mr.
Bill King of Volunteers in
Corrections were invited to
come and give lectures about

their respective. organizations. -

The meeting to Christen the .

new Club Room was opened
with prayer by Stanley Briggs,
program chaplain, and read-
ings by four of the club
members on the subject “To
More Progressive Thinking.”
King was then.- presented to
.. o] . .

' ‘V ' teers in Corrections 1s a group
of men and women across the ,
;,_7na'tion who visit inmates in ‘

correctional institutions. He

' also said that. anyone desiring

a visit by one of these volun-
teers should‘contact him.

John Gibson, of Unity
Temple, Was the next speaker.
He talked of some of his past

experiences and how. they:
=ps'ychological‘ . ,_
makeup and made mm- the ' ‘ ‘

helped his ,

person he is tOday'. Mr. Gibson
then talked of -Unity Temple
and the philosophies it” is,
based on. He stated that the
members of Unity Temple
believe in the “Religion of.
Positive Thinking. ” This

method deals with individuals
thinking 1n a progressive and.

positive manner, and by these

‘1 , actions being ultimately drawn
. towards God.

Gibson has been with the
Unity Temple organization for
approximatley six years, talk-

. ing before members of the
,JTemple. This was his first-

f experience in a prison, talking
; in front of a strange group.

After two hours of friendly.

talk, lectures and interjected

humor, the meeting was "'
* closed by prayer from Charles
- McDonald and the reciting of

the Club Motto by each of the
members.

 

JULY 1978 if

 
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
  
   
  
 

   
 

._ Twith Unity Temp

NUMBER' 2

  
   
   

   
  

‘ Therapeutic Program listen closely as John Gibson talks of his experiences
‘ ihson Was a guest speaker at the club’s celebration upon completion of the
club’s renovation. [Photo by Chris Jackson] . .

Academlc Sneeess At Blackburn

 

. FRANKFURT— Nineteen
men, residents at Blackburn
Correctional Complex (BCC),
received their G. E. D. certifi-
cates in commencement exere
cises-held there June 15. . .

In addition to those receiv-

ing G. E. D. certificates, eight.

men were recognized for suc-

jcessful completion of voca-
tional training and another .

five were honored for comple-
tion of four grade levels in a
siromonth-or-less time period.

Both . clas‘s Valedictorian
Willard Northern. {and Saluta-
torian Gerald Morris address-

ed the group prior to the

commencement address.

Sam Harris, a representa-
tive of the National Alliance of
Business. delivered the com-
mencement address. .

“You represent people
coming to grips with the

problem of lack of education
and lack of skills,” he told
graduates.

Harris, an err-offender, ex?

plainedthat he received both
his high school and college

' degrees while 1n prison

He also offered the group
suggestions in dealing with
theproblem of finding a job.

“On the matter of your
criminal record, don’ t wear it
like a. badge but deal with it
cleanly, openly and honestly—-

' then put it behind you,” he. ,

advised. .

Corrections Commissioner

David Bland, who presented
the diplomas, also addressed
the group.
. “Education will not gpen
every door but ”without it.
there are a late! doors that
will never open," he said. .
Citing his committment ‘to

teed At Commencement

education in the corrections
system, Bland said, “i will
spend every dollar 1 can get
my hands on to give you a
chance for an academic
education, an opportunity to
learn a trade and a forum by
which you can learn to relate
to one another and other
people productively."
According to Judy lrvin, an
instructor in the BCC ‘acs-
demic school, 44 men have
received their G.E.D. certifi-
cates during the past year.

Ms. lrvin, Byron Davis, a
BCC 1 resident. and the
Blackburn Chnir each pre-
sented musical performances
as part of the evening’s pro-
gram.

A reception and dance fol-
lowied the comhteneement ex-
ercises. (

 

1
1
i
s
I
I
E

 .......................................

.....................

PAGE 2-THE imam-Parsofi mess—JULY 197a

AKFhoughtTRrPondbruu".
What Constitutes A Superintendent?

For those of you who
haven’t been keeping track,
the last year has seen a

shuffling of superintendents '

among institutions closely re-
sembling a game of musical
chairs. Dewey Sowders is now
at the reformatory, following
Harold. Black’s retirement. Bill
Seabold is running Blackburn,
while Lloyd Fletcher has taken
over Bell County. Gary Dennis
left Boone County for a job at
the central office. Jim Lenhoff
is now superintendent for the
women’s minimum security
facility. And, finally, Mike

O’Dea is temporarily running

the Frankfort Center, after Bill
Dotson's resignation last
month.

While the comings and go-
ings of superintendents may
seem trivial at first glance,
they give rise to some
thoughts on the nature of
superintendents in general.
’ They are worth exploring, for
no single personality so affects
the men at a given institution
as the superintendent.

Perhaps the most important
quality necessary in a good
. superintendent' 1s a keen sense
of fairness. If a superintendent
cannot look beyond the com-

. _.mon labels (inmate, guard, ' _

caseworker) to the issues at
control, because he lacks the
. forcefulne’ss to tell you to your

stake, he quickly loses not only

any cooperation from the men _,

under his control, but also
_ their respect. When inmates
are always wrong by virtue of
their being inmates, and
guards are always right be-
cause they are guards, the
superintendent loses credi-
bility quickly. If he cannot look
at the issues and deal fairly in
his capacity as arbitrator, he
creates hostility, animosity,
and general ill-will toward
himself and his staff.

A second important quality
in good superintendents is
their integrity.

it He

When all is.

said and done, the institution
is their show. They run it.
They are backed by the bureau
and the forced law. They are
playing with a deck carefully
stacked in their favor. Why,
then, should it be necessary
for one to deal from the
bottom? He should not have to
resort to lies,
deceit. If he does, a com-
munications gap develops
which is impossible to bridge.
Most men will talk often to
someone who tells them the
truth. They will not talk to
someone who says one thing to
their face-and does another
behind their back.

’Strength of character is a

third quality to be admired in a
superintendent. Superinten-

' dents have almost unlimited

power and authority. Strong
personalities exercise
powersparingly, always aware.
of the human consequences of
any administrative action.
They may disagree with you
and overwhelm you withfithe

force of their personality; but,

trickery or .

, that ,

they Will. 'do it openly. ~The~l

weak personality uses his

power as a crutch, andabuses .

sneaks ' into
Captain’ s Office and has you
lecke'd‘” up for. instltutionfl

face to step whatever he
dislikes. ' .

tolerance are also virtues
which contribute to a better
atmosphere in an institution.
Whether he is aware of it or

not, the superintendent tends...
to set' an example—good or,

the '

bad—for the rest of his..staff. V ,

If he is known as a straight

‘ shooter, most of the staff will

try' to emulate him. if he is
knoWn and recognized as a

snake, most of the staff will

\\\\\\

slither around the institution.
The atmosphere at the institu-
tion will be determined largely
by the attitudes and actions of
the staff. The attitudes and
actions of the superintendent
set the example.

One fact is certain: Super-
intendents are human. They
may not, .by nature, possess

. some of the virtues necessary

to be a good superintendent.
But the ones they lack by
nature can be cultivated. The
results are understanding and

legitimate communication, if"
not harmony, within an instif -.

tution.

The Kentucky InteraPrison
Press has, in the past, main-
tained a policy against em-
phasizing personnel changes
within the bureau. While our
intentions are not to change

the policy, the recent resigna- ‘
tion of John W. Dotson as”

Superintendent of the Frank-
tort Career Development
Center deserves mention for

Dotson was a man who culti- 7
rated these virtues which were '

mentioned. His resignation is

regrettable

   

(Isn’t. it whereas that many
«ornamented. in Kentucky

' , institutions are unaware'of the '*
' criteriafor gaining our free- , V
. dam? Making ’ parole ‘is a".
,1, subject we all have thought -
. about at one time or another, -
but have we really considered ‘

just how to do it? I have
received mixed views from
people I’ve talked to whohave
already made'parole. '

 

Darryl Stewart

EDITOIIAL STAFF

the kentaeky

Inna—Pals

srarr Aimsor

 

m Mn ‘ .IIIOO'UOOOOIIOIDOIIOCU..C.M ‘ A" W

f‘Apy Editor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guy Dwyer WWW Services Manager ’

'Ihe KENTUCKY INTER-PRISON PRESS, a monthly
of the Kentucky Bureau of
Kentucky,
residents of the 11

I!!! ““1"“;er girl-onweaith of Kentucky. The views expresostedin
n.3,. _ More notaecessariiy those the
:glérhfi ' L “3° Kentucky Bureau of Corrections. Reprint permission is
”M Big: www.mthe ereditisglven.“
Dehr‘aCl-k flW weeps-deuce and Forms 79 should be directed to
Ian Smith Earl-n M the Pdrlie Services Mnager, Bureau of
M o’N sosees-saneaaooseeeeeseeaosoeoosssash. C—‘y ‘ i m, Ml. w a”
Center postage rates paid at Frankie“, K , 40601.

 
  

. Corrections,
40601,is hyandfor
institutions ofthe

 

............

 

John W. Dotson, former superintendent at the Frankfort Career '

[Photo by Darryl Stewart]

 

 

Letters To A The” Ed‘ror

Larry made parole the first

time he "entered the ,institu-l

tion, after serving .ll’months '

on three- years. He felt: he
made parole because of his

I group participation.

James made parole after
serving seven months on a one
year sentence. He said " he

_ didn't know how he made it. '

Lee Was granted parole after
serving 16 months on a 10 year
sentence. He had eight inci-
dent reports, and entered

segregation involuntarily with‘

each report. He wasn’t in
school -or group Counseling,
took no vocational training,
joined no club, and had no

idea why he was granted.-

parole. Could this be his

reason for being a repeating

offender?

Bob, who was recently pa-

. roled after serving five months
on a two year sentence, felt he '
was - granted parole because

the institution is overcrowded.

After these examples, I’m
unaware of any set criteria for
being granted parole. If you’re

, unaware also, and would like

to know the criteria (if 'there
are any), you can write to Mr.
Burnett Napier, Chairman of
the parole board. I’m sure Mr.
Napier can give you or me the
answer to the very important

_ privilege. I '

‘ Development Center, strikes a typical pose at his office window.

, question of how to. make

parole.

I’ve also found mixed opin-
ions as to just what parole is.
There are three general des-
criptions: A gift, areward, and "
a privilege

My conception of “gift” is a ‘
present to family, friend or

' lover; to give a very special

something. If parole is indeed
a gift, may I have mine now,
please? I have a life to build

I was naive enough to accept '
the description of parole as a
reward. “When you get down
there, keep yourself clean and
do what they ask You’ ll get
out the first time. you see the '
parole board,” my laWyer
said. Three years later, I’m
not so inclined to accept his

' , words as fact. If parole is a '

reward, what must I do? What

services may I render for the

reward?

Then, there is a small
minority I’m considering join-
ing that believes parole is a
consulted
Webster’ 5 New World Dic-
tionary, aind found that a.
privilege J “a right Or .
immunity granted as an ad-
vantage or favor. ” If parole is

__ a privilege, flow may I acquire,

it?

Charles Bishop-

 

  

 

 broken on June-30 for a new
medium security institution
and forensic, psychiatric hos-
pital at the Kentucky State
Reformatory.

 

morning fire at the Eastern
Kentucky Career Develop-

death of one man and injury to
_ 10 others on June 28. The men
, were part of an inmate work

crew performing renovation at
’ I-the institution.

LMJ

   

’/

According to the State Fire
* Marshal’s Office, the fatal fire
- occurred when gasoline being

 

5 .used as a cleaning agent‘

   
 
    
  
  
   
  
 
 

ignited. Sixty percent of the

i was either destroyed or dam-
, aged by the fire.
Associate Superintendent

occurred about 10:00 a. m. .,
and was brought under control

rEstep explained that gasoline.
was being used to clean glue
,. 7 and other residue from a
~ concrete floor of the structure. ‘

fumes from. the gasoline were
” V ignited by the motor of a floor
» buffer,” Estep said.

contamed in the housing unit.
Estep said the cause of the
_, fire was determined after an

3 g investigation 'conducted' by" ,

'four members of ' the Hazard-
ous »Materials Section of the.

‘ .‘ investigation included exam-
7 the scene and interviews.

Three men were in the room
where the flash occurred, and

one was immediately outside .

the room. The operator of the

buffer, Gerald Byrd, was kill-
. ed, while three of the injured
.. remain hospitalized with se-
.1 cond , degree burns. Sowders
’ Nalso said the injured men were
taken to a Winchester hospital
with injuries ranging from
burns to smoke inhalation

 

.suffered while fighting the

‘ fire.

, According'to Sowders the

. ' facility was being readied for

' occupancy in the fall. Prior to

the opening, the renovation

.- werk being performed was

l;‘= aimed at bringing the facility

. into line with existing fire
' . scodes andrstandards;

' Sowders said the work,

_ 7' . closely coordinated with the

 

 

 

LA GRANGE—Ground was ‘

F RANKFORT—An early

ment Center resulted in the '

two-story masonry housing'
unit undergoing renovation

John Sowders said the fire'

{in approximately one and“ f":
half hours. .Fire Marshal Bob.

“The flash occurred when ' gram invited Mr.

Sowders said the blaze was-

fire‘Fire Marshal’s - Office. The, ‘

ination of physical evidence at ,

The $19.5 million expansion

project will include a 96-bed '

psychiatric hospital and a 288-
bed medium security correc-
tional facility. The money for
the expansion project was

EK CDC Fire Claims Life,
Injures Several Others

state fire marshal’s office,
included installing metal roof
decking, removing all _flam-
mable wood materials and
redesigning exit doors. He
said 25 men were assigned to
the facility to accomplish the
renovation. However, he
pointed out that these men
were not housed. in the 64-
room unit, but in temporary,
fire marshal-approved living
quarters.

.........................

.................

......

appropriated by the 1972 and
1974 Kentucky General As-
semblies.

Justice Secretary John L.
Smith said the project helps
fill a void in the Kentucky
corrections picture. “There is
a significant segment of our
inmate population in need of
psychiatric care,’ ’Smith said.
“Prior to this time, we have
been unable to meet that
demand with our existing fa-
cilities. The new psyChiatric
hospital .will help us fill that
void.”

Sm'th also said" the" new”
medi " security institutionjs ____
being built with the future
needs of the Bureau of Cor-
rections in mind. “Corrections
planning statistics show that '
our greatest housingneed in
the future will come in the

' area of medium security. Cur-
rently, the reformatory is the
system’ 5 sole medium security
institution for male offenders.

.........................

THE INTER-PRISON PRE$~JULY 1978v-PAGE 3

“The reformatory. as well
as many of our other cor-
rectional institutions, is now
operating above its housing
capacity. This new facility will
help ease the strain in our
medium security housing,”
Smith said.

Gov. Julian Carroll has call-

ed the expansion project “fis- -

cally responsible.” He said,
“Based on the funds avail-
able, it was determined that it

7 would be financially. sound to

plan for the construction of the
psychiatric hospital and the
additional medium security
facility at the same time and

_ place. And, since the state
already owns the land selected , "

as the site for the facility,
more of the allocated funds
can be used for the facility
itself.” -

Corrections Commissioner

l David Bland said the new

medium security facility will

have its own superintendent ..

Groundbreaking Held For LaGrange Expansion

and staff, and the hospital will
be a free- standing facility on
the site of the new medium
security facility.

The hospital will be a li-
censed facility meeting both
state and federal standards
and codes. It will have its own
administrator, as well as its
own psychiatric, medical and
correctional staff,” Bland
said. '

He said the psychiatric hos-
pital will allow. the Bureau of
Corrections to deal with its
own inmates in need of evalu-
ation and treatment, empha-

sizing that the facility will be .,

available to inmates from each.
of the Commonwealth’s ll
existing institutions.

The new hospital will con-
sist of five single-story units—-
a 13-bed unit for female
offenders, an eight-bed in-

~ firmary and three 25- bed units

for male patients.

Perkins Outlines Drug And Alcohol Programs

  
 

"r—TWW‘W/ ~.: _

\, .

by James R. Knodel ' -

' LA GRANGE—On in... 19,

the Action Therapeutic Pro-

Perkins, of the River Region

» Comprehensive Care Center 111,. .

Louisville, to tell what. is

involved in the drug ”and
alcohol programs offered to
the inmate population at the ]

reformatory.

Perkins, a graduate of the .
' University of Louisville in 1977 3
Twith a _masters degree in
sociology and social work, has ,

been working with River. Re-
gion for approximately. seven.

months, six of which havex

been with the inmatepopula-
tion at the reformatory. He is

the father of two, and has had -

experience working ’with
Shelter House, a branch of the
UMCA in Louisville, which
deals with juvenile problems.

The sessions offered the

inmate population deal with . -

drug and alcohol therapy and
are offered every Wednesday
and Thursday to anyone inter-
ested in help along ,these lines.
Also discussed in these ses-
sions arethe services available
to the inmate upon his. release,
such as psychiatry,. hypno-
therapy, social services and a

I medicationdispensing' facility. .
Perkins gave an outline of

the River Region pregrams

available, emphasizing the
need for continued therapy .

and counseling upon the re-
lease of the inmate from the

7» institutio11;:

Alfred ;

..... r“ Wr~~,- if??? _... V52}?

 

He went on to stress that the _’
programs Offered 011 the yard"
’Idelve further than just drug"
“and alcohol therapy. The so?
ciologists working with tJ1e'7'_
-_ programs try to instill deter-v
,mination in‘the achieving of ”
, individual goals by .the inmate f
and to point out weaknesses in. ,

V solutions.

 

Available To Reformatory Res1dents ‘ ~ 

that counseling, both— indiv-

1: idual and group. is needed not 7'
_ for. the sake ofifarolei but to '
"1‘fs‘olve‘ 'the problems 'that put ‘
"fthe individual in here. They
should be stressed more upon .
entry to the institution, so that '
one can prepare for the even-
tuality of release. This should

be uppermost in the inmate' s
mind.

he."point was brought up.-

 

 

 

A question and answer per- " ‘ .
.f‘iod followed, in which the ‘
members of the club enthu- ~

siastically participated with an

emphasis on the desire to seek _

added thereapy upon release.
The enthusiasm for the ques-
tiontand answer period was so
great that the group carried
“the talk beyond the allotted
time given by the administra-

- tion.

 

While being praised for their academic accomplishments, these Blackburn residents, dressed In
caps and gowns, await the portion of the commencement exercises when they will receive their
certificates. .

 

 

 

 

 

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PAGE 4~THE INTER-PRISON PR ESS~JULY 1978

Fight Night AtKentucky State Refo ' ‘ ato

 

9

 

 

 

Look closely Those photo of the Memorial Day Fight Night at . " ' 5 - ' ~ ‘ ‘ V N‘ ”’ W '7' '5 » '
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