xt7z348gjj7h https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7z348gjj7h/data/mets.xml  Kentucky  1979 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, September 1979 text volumes: illustrations 37 cm. Call Number: 17-C817I 8: The Kentucky Inter-Prison Press, September 1979 1979 1979 2022 true xt7z348gjj7h section xt7z348gjj7h -«~—~. ~.~o_§"

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IvoLUME vu-

SEPTEMBER l979

NUMBER 9

An' Interview with KSRlS academic principle

By Frederick [Skip] Baker

' Mr. David Vislisel has been the Academic School Principal at the Kentucky State Reformatory at La
Grange, Kentucky, for approximately seven years. In addition to the many administrative functions 1n
the academic department, he has devoted time in the area of teaching English here at the college level,
has been director of the Drama program at K. S .R., and is now a grievance committee chairman. Mr.
Vislisel‘ is the long-time advisor of the Resident A-V Center, as well as helping [as he puts it] “in small
ways” other organizations at the institution.

_— Mr. Vislisel' 1s married and the father of two children. The following is a brief interview that this

, reporter had with him recently.

Inter-Prison Press: What do

' -» at K. s. R. ‘2
David Vislisel:

individualized and programmed
_ a roaches (oen entry, o-en

 

   

   

  
   

,' academic department?

involvement in refining and
3 '. modifying Our. programmed-in-

dividualized approach, and.
Title I and- special education

" ” programs, I confess to a great

,'?choosing,-, putting together and
, ' perfOr-m‘ing a play. The process
’ is a fantastic learning exprience

 

" 'g like to_ see a further develop-
"~rnent of the arts program, and

the formation of a writers

‘ workshop and an informal

. group to explore and develop

, _ 1. creative and journalist writing.
‘ 43. , I .just wish I had more time,
because I Consider these “after-

you consider the main accom?
plishments of your past tenure

. 7‘ Without I
’ 3 doubt the great chance from-
large. grOUp-taught classes to‘

to education. Adults learn (and

 

g~ hoo
,, I.P-P.. What are some of. the;
. things \you wish to accomplish "
1' 1n the future as head of the

-D.V.: In addition to heavy

love for dramatics; especially ' "
fith’eprOcess of a drama-group;-

for all invo1ved. I- w0uld also ,

hours” projects, at least at this

,. time.

I.P.P.: After all these years

.at K.S..,R what is your
”philosophy of education at
. K. S .R. ? -

D.V.: More and more, I

believe in a practical approach

 
 

“rentermg school freely but, .
. ~espons1bly, and exiting When
'Sftheynw1sh the same way. Also,_
'g,-,'(a's difficult as it is to really
3 understand and consistently be '

senSitive to this need), the
adults need to’ see immediate
and concrete reasons, to be
studying and learning what we
say is important to learn.
Finally, I think it is essential

to be realistic and practical in _
providing concrete reasons. for'

entering and staying inschool,
even if these reasons include a

warm (or cool) place to study,
.ince‘ntive‘ state 'pay and

teachers sensitive ' (up to a

point)‘ to personal problems

which interfere with concentra-
tion and learning; and certainly
most important, we milst keep

4 the'real benefits of learning in

students’ consciousness—in-

creasing literacy and independ-

ence, better jobs, and .a sense of

_ pride in (self responsible) ‘
: education.

. I.P.P.:rHow‘ many men
have completed the GE. D.
phase of the academic program

   
     

””111.v.; Off the 151 men

attempting to pass the G.E.D..
125 men learned G.E.D.

certification. Two hundred

forty-five men earned the

Eighth. Grade equivalency .

certificate.

I.P.P.: How many students
do you have presently enrolled
in the Academic School (all
phases)?

, D .V.: We have a total of 254

9 students in Academic School,

and 54 students are taking
full time (12 credit hours)
courses frOm Jefferson Com-
munity College this semester.

[.P. P.: Are there special
classes for different students?
If so, why?

D.V.: YeS! We have three
levels, or classes, in our
Academic School program: The

Reading Center (Zero through
sixth grade) with major
emphasis on reading skills; the
Learning Center (grades sift

through eight) with major 5

emphasis _on reading, mathe-
matics and language; the
GED. Center (grades nine
through twelve) with five areas
of G.E.D. Testing being the
main focus. Also, we have a
special program knoWn as Title
I. This program is primarily

designed for those residents

under 21 years of age, giving
help to students in Weak or
difficult areas.

We have recently instituted a

  

(freshman and sohpomore

, program) the credits earned

there can lead to .an associate
or bachelor’s degree. Corres-
pondence courses . are available
at the resident’s expense.
A.C.T. testing is also'available

. to the residents. ,
I.P.P.: What are some of

your hobbies, and your Sign?
D.V.: (Laughs). I read in a
great variety of areas ranging
from . Krisnamurti and
Gurdijieff, to practical plumb-
ing and How-to-do-it..I love
movies (new and old), drama,
art and I paint a bit. Ilike
organic gardening, repairing
my 80-plus year old Victorian
home. Finally, I run and'jog
some, love handball and spend
some time in the wilderness
with my wife and kids. Perhaps

this confusion of interest will be

 

 

“special program” for students -

 

e . . .
in e. courses offered by J. C C. ' changes?

explained in my sign—-Saggi-
tarius, but exactly on the cusp
of Capricorn.

I.P.P.: In your seven years as '

principal at the reformatory,
has the education level of men
entering the academic program

increased or decreased?

D.V.: An interesting ques-

tion. We have not studied this .

formally at K.S.R., but I think
that the average academic level
at entrance ' has gone up
somewhat over this seven-year
period.

I.P.P.: What do you see, as .

the cause of any change in- the

D.V.: I feel the main cause is
that more students‘ are
volunteering to enroll in

academic school. Mr. Mike

Price meets with men in the A
& 0 Unit once a week and

informs them of our academic.

education program.

I.P.P.: The addition of
women to your academic staff:
has it had a positive or negative
effect on the men?

D.V.: Very positive.

Women are often very sensitive .

to a student’s problems and

approach those problems dif- '

ferently from that of a male
teacher. Also, before the
women, the atmosphere, here
was something like the men’s
college I attended years ago.
Men tended to be sloppy,

(continued on page 2)

 

M. 1. K G LIBRARY

make-up of the men entering

    

 

g
E

 

 Page 2 — The INTER-PRISON PRESS -- September i979

Vislisel

(continued from page 1)

Careless in manners and played
juvenile games . . .tricks on
each other. Now students are
more civilized, refined. The
presence of women does that to
the male ego. It’s very
health—I think.

I.P.P.: Due to the limited
number of enrollments you

have have in the program at "

any one time, how long can a
resident student remain in one
level without showing any
progress?

D.V.: I‘think we are“

extremely liberal in working on
problems with students. We

give them every chance to.

“take hold” unless there are
repeated intentional violations

of agreement. Example: non-
attendance, lateness, improper
pass use, disturbance in class,
etc.

LP .P.: Do you derive a sense
of fulfillment from your job?

D.V.: Although, like most
correctional workers, I almost
accidentally came upon this
work. I' have taught and
worked in four other very
varied and rewarding situa-
tions, and spent the equivalent
of over two years in banking
work. Work in this situation
has been by far the most
rewarding I’ve ever done. I
guess that is demonstrated by
my over nine years of work
with K.S.R. two different
times.

MYLOVE GI

Ta 9 P l a m
By Dale Allen Hall, KSR I

reopens
at KSR

By Skip Baker

The midnight sails of the Clipper Ship
grind through the stormy sea,

No one to see through the night

just you “My Love” and me.

Althrough our hearts are filled with love
as we hear the thunder’ s boom,

will we make it through the night

0’ “"11 we “My Love” meet doom On September 24, 1979, the
Kentucky Bureau of Correc-
tions began making license
plates for the State of
Kentucky.

Mr. Rex Blaine, director of
tags and signs at La Grange
, Reformatory, said that two

And with the coming dawn “My Love” shifts will be in operation until

the storm clouds break apart, ' ' late November or early

We stand on deck “M y Love” and I December in order to get all the

and let the sunshine fill our hearts . . . tags 01“ for 1980-
A total of 77 men are now

working at the Tag Plant. The
morning shift begins at 8 a.m.,
and the men work until 3:30
p. m. The evening Shift begins

The waves do crash upon our decks
' but'the ship, she rolls along,

As we hope the storm will break

before the coming dawn.

. IAM PROUD

 

WORDS OF THE MONTH

at 5 p. m., and the men work
. until 9 p. m.
4 The starting wages are 10
cents per hour, but inmates can
earn up to 32 cents per hour.

By Jeannie Stephens, K CIW

By Skip Baker, KSR

I frequently sit down and ask
myself two questions: What is
‘it you have set out to do? Keep
clarifying the goals. And then,
am I doing everything possible
to reach thegbals? Therein lies

When God made me a Woman,
He gave me a purpose here below,

_ To serve and make my man happy
To nourish the seed of life that it maygrow.

He never promised an easy way -
And there’s a lot I’ll never understand

A system of monthly
production can increase each
inmate’s pay as much as seven

and one-half cents per hour

extra, provided the total output
of tags per month exceeds the
monthly quota. .

Overtime and time and a half

 

.' .ion anymore. There are too

   

the road to sanity.

  
 

,1 a in through violent confronta-

many legal and moral battles 1n .
this country that cannot be won '
unless Blacks can operate
within the system. And to do
that, there must be increased
education and motivation
among Black students. They
are the leaders of tomorrow.

swam

 

 

the kentucky

lam-ms; -'

, Corrections, Frankfort, Kentucky", 40601’. Seco$

  

STAFF ADVISOR

MARIBETH SCHMITT

Public Education Services Manager

The KENTUCKY INTER- PRISON PRESS, a monthly publication of
the Kentucky Bureau of Corrections, Frankfort Kentucky, 40601, is .
produced by and for residents of the 11 correctional institutions of.

the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The views expressed in this
publication are not necessarily: those of the Kentucky Bureau of

' Corrections. Reprint permission is hereby granted, provided the

proper credit is given. All correspondence and Form 3?79;hould
be directed to the Public Education services’M” aga an of

rates paid at Frankfort, Kentucky, 40601.
- - USPS 011170 ' *

But he made me proud and strong

Whenmy feet get'weary and I get slow .
And I have a job to do,

And I have strength to pull through

 

 

(”benefits are available f0 ~ 12 - '

. 7 *mmate‘athat Wa s" to work"
weekends will be allowed to
.. work.

   

Iremember, Iam a wOman - ‘ ' _ ’ 7;}? All license, plates and .

' ' highWay signs are made at La
Grange Refo'rmatory for the .
' State of Kentucky.

, Inmates produce license plates for 1980 at KSR.

 

 

[Photo by Skip Baker]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

r
r
Ir 7 POPULATION FIGURES . V .
Kentucky State Penitentiary ' 'I ‘ I ' I ' 779
Kentucky State Reformatory ' I ‘ ‘ 1955 , -
Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women..............................l14 . ' '
Blackburn Correctional Complex 1 ,_ ‘ 216
Bell County Forestry Camp , ' - 1 ‘~ 4 ' ’ 70
Harlan County Forestry Camp I * I I l ' 10 . .
stage 5 Western Kentucky Farm Center ’ ' . ‘t' 133 7 ‘ -
r g Daniel Boone Career Development Center ' ' ‘11 ' "
r Roederer Farm Center - ‘ " ' » ”1'48-
E Frankfort Career Development Center - 74 ‘
EL; TOTAL _ . ~ ' ‘ 2:94

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KSR'S Living Skills Program

The Living Skills Program at
KSR is designed to teach those
basic skills which will enable
inmates to develop healthy and
lasting relationships with those
whom they are associatd with
after their release from prison.
Most of these residents have
failed in the past to find
satisfaction in their associations
with family, friends, or other
members of their community.
They have tended to misunder-
stand and mistrust most people
whom they have encountered
or With those they have been
associated with in any way.
Perhaps many of the residents
have failed to develop trust in
their fellow man because of
experiences during infancy
and/or early childhood.

S atisfactory relatiOnshipsv

with other people are most
important to all human beings.
In the course of daily living,
one’s contacts with others can
provide the support, encour-
agement, self-respect and af-
fection ‘tof‘make his business
and social life enhancing or

‘growth experiences. An inabilit

to relate ' well to others,’ or

I attitudes and conduct which

'I'alienate them, may result in a

 

{his relationships wit h fellow V
” man. Therefore, it is of primary V ‘I

poor self 1mage, 'a loss of

ambition, despondency and
greater indifference to the-
feelings or needs of others

importance that 'men develop
the skills necessary to survive
in a world where social

relationships invariably deter-II

mine the measure of success
and happiness they can achieve.

‘ Without-such skills, they may

I- continue to experience difficul-

.4I

ties in What Seems a hoStile and
adversary envirOnmeInt
The Living Skills Program

consists of T1, T2 and T3._,- ‘

g 1T1 is‘ under, the! dir‘eCticIin of
‘ Mr... Al

Johnson. He has

I‘de51gned T1 around three

I. -I maj or areas.

I ing and Planning. These three

areas were identified as being

the three most significant skills
,_needed by our client popula-.- I‘
- tion. , I
Phase One of CommunicatiOn V
"deals With how one presents

himself to other people.I It

. emphasizes how people develop

1* .“f- impressions from appearances,

Iposture, facial expressions”. I
, gestures, VojiCee and language.

Phase TWo of Communication

"‘_providfe__sIIi11’sights into how to

read other people through
’observing, listening and evalug
,Iating. \
Phase Three of Communica?

'tion Shows how to respond to

II , _Making a

.another per-son after interpre-
I tatiori of the message. I

Problems Solving/Decision

Standard First

 

. Communicatidn, '
« I Problem Solving/Decision Mak-

process of

By Frank L. MoormIan In

determining what choices are
available to an individual faced
with a problem.

Planning is practice in
setting a goal and a schedule in
achieving a goal.

Clients are referred to this
course by their individual
caseworkers. Classes are con-
ducted for a total of 40 hours
which is half a day for
approximately two weeks. A
Pre-test and Post-test is given
to each class to gauge the
amount of progress. Class size

is around fifteen students._

Everyday attendance is a must.

T2 is under the guidance of
Paula Fitzgerald. These
courses are of various lengths
and complexit'y and designed
for residents showing interest
in specialized skilled acquisi-
tion.

The courses offered in T2 are
Standard First Aid and
Personal Safety, Advanced
First Aid and Emergency
Cafre, , Banking, Nutrition,
Powerlifting and Get Fit for
Living. ‘

A recent expansion of the T2
program was the introduction

of Cardiopulmonary Resuscita-I

tion Instructor Training. '
Twelve men participated in a
six week training program and
are now certified to instruct
Aid

  

 
  

started instructing classes
October 1, 1979. The others will
be utilized for later classes. The
use of resident instructors is an

I innovative idea\’in the field. of

Corrections. ‘

I Paula Fitzgerald has been
with the program since April
and is pleased With its progress
thus far. She feels that as mor
materials and space are offered,
she
expansion. ‘

T3 is Employability SkillsI

which is designed to help those
clients with problems in the
areas related to employment. It
is constructed to help clients in
how to find‘a job, how to go
about getting a job, how to

ReviBilIl Larkin has been very helpful in Level I as he prepares to
assign a lesson to a student. ' ‘

.course have mock

and

 

tation Four of these men

can cbntinue with its

keep a job, and how to quit a
job. One of the major areas
discussed throughout this
course is how to conduct
yourself on an interview with
confidence. Residents in this
interviews
with local company personnel
who visit the institution to help
T3 clients in what to expect in
actual interviews.

Last June, the T3 program
was responsible for putting
together a' panel discussion
under the expertise of Leonard
Papproth, a clerk in the .Living
Skills Program. The purpose of
the discussion was to openly
discuss in a relaxed atmosphere

the problems between the

employer and the parolee. A lot
of ground was covered and
some commitments were made
by the people on the panel from
the community regarding train-
ing programs and interviews
that were held.

Clients Were referred to this
course by their caseworkers.

The classes are conducted for a ,

tdtal' 40 hours. Pre-test and
Post-test are conducted as a
guide to measure student
progress. A maximum class of
15 clients is maintained and
attendance is- a must.

Mr. Michael Price serves as II

  

a1 Stator oft e.,Li_'_ _

supervises the training staff

and helps develop new pro-,.
‘ ; grams and evaluates. existing

ones. He serves as community
liason,-provides information
regarding the program to other

_ agencies and to the press. He

also maintains contact with
Community Services. There are
demographic studies conducted
ofthe programs by Mr. Price to
measure their relative effec-
tiveness.

I Mr. Price feels a small
measure of satisfaction with the

progress that has been made,
but he is aware of the fact that »

much has yet to be done to

I make the program as effective '_ .

as he would like it to be.

 

   
 
 

The INTER-PRISON PRESS - September I979 -- Page 3

Amessage' ' 5?.

to our readers

 

 

 

 

C:
We are currently attempting to update our mailing ' '6
list for the Inter-Prison Press. _ .3
If you would like to remain on our list, please fill out
the form below and mail it to the following address by
January 1. ' ‘ :3
‘SJ
3
The Inter- Prison Press I3
5th Floor ’ E
State Office Building I
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
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J
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3
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j NAME 5.
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STREET ADDRESS :3
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C
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pollc1esI of- the depar men .HIe I.

Mike Kinser [center] discusses classroom activities with students.

. [Photos by Skip Baker”,

 

Mr. Mke Price, director of Living Skills here at La Grange, goes
over some work with his clerk Leonard Papproth.

 

 

  

 

_Pap 4 - Tho INTER *RISON PRESS - September 379

 

 

 

 

 

wsatmqwzszmw' x»-

 

 

 

 

 

         
       
 
  

* Pepsi donates

scoreboard 1‘ORKSR

The Pepsi Company recently .
donated an electric scoreboard
to the Kentucky State Reform- '

' atory. V

The new Scoreboard will
mainly be used by the, Varsity
Tigers, KSR’s basketball team.

Accordingto Reformatory
Warden, Steve Smith, the
people at the reformatory were
very pleased with the donation,
and the Varsity Tigers display- "
ed their appreciation by
“shooting some baskets” after
the presentation. -

Milton Driskell, account ;
executive for Genadco, Advere
tising Agency, presented Steve
Smith with a Certificate of
guarantee for the new score- 7
board. Ray Wilkins of Pepsi,"
and John Mattingly, recreation
director at the reformatory,
also attended the presentation.

- Labor Day activities ‘

Larry Lenston serves in the first set of the championship game. Larry won the '
singles championship by defeating Dennis Elliot 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 [top left]. Larry
Lenston returns a volley during the match [bottom left]; Irvin Clark Won the niile‘
. race easily on Labor Day, Irvin, your stride is toormean [top right].. i 7 '

f [Photos by‘smpmenr I

 

 

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where: the two open, edgesgmeet, leaving both ”the ratum and'receiVer’s address visibE. LThe’Kentuck? 5‘
Interanson Press__requires one ’15 cent stamp, . ’ I ' ‘ ' ' '_ ' 5 ' - '

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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