Behind the Walls; 5

Oh. Under penitentiary and men's reformatory Chapter Two forty six point three won in the Iowa Code isolation allows for the removal of an inmate from the general population for the purpose of discipline. At the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison there are three isolation cell blocks. Nineteen twenty and ninety seven in cell House 97 There are 18 cells at this time only two are occupied. Tonight Les Peck reporter for the Burlington Hawkeye will be talking with one of those occupants. Warner s Kelly. On March 5th 1967 Kelly arrived at the fort he'd been convicted of kidnapping malicious injury to a building and lascivious acts with a child. He was sentenced to a total of 13 years in three years he had worked himself into the minimum security dormitory outside the walls. After an unsuccessful

escape in November 1070 he was returned to the general population inside the walls and three more years were added to his sentence. On June 8th 1972 during a scuffle in Warner Kelly's cell Correctional Officer Joseph crusie was stabbed. Kelly was immediately placed in isolation cell block number ninety seven. During May of 1973 he was convicted and sentenced to 90 more years for the death of Captain crusie. He has now been in cell block 97 for more than a year. We would like to introduce you to Warner ask Kelly behind the walls. The Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison is a maximum security institution. And inside the prison is a maximum security building and that's where we are today talking with inmate Warner Kelly. Age 29 he is one of two inmates in this building of 18 cells one are here in solid lock up. The situation that

you've been in for about a year now over the past. 12 to 14 or 15 months with some time out for a trip to Oakdale new valuation there are no evaluation. How do you spend your time in a solid lock up situation. You see it. Is absolutely nothing else to say. There's nothing constructive going on. You just say it. Do you ever get out of your cell at all. Well a menace to wangle a little deal for myself where I can get out an hour a day. I think the cat reads if. We have the guards available which can present some problems at times because you never know whether they have the guards available only what they tell you and what do you do during that hour. Well. For the past several months on the stand up at those bars at the end of that discarded arguing the governor says what's going on. But you never leave the building. Oh no. You get out for a shower. Yes.

We wear shower twice a week. On a kind of a lark I guess more than anything else because we didn't really expect it but I suspect. Because you people are Haitian. The guy was great. We have to be shard of the law often. Then two times a week because of that and it's a hell of you know it's awfully hot in here there's no real ventilation or anything and you get pretty sweaty you know. So we ask to be showered. A little more often. Then twice a week and it was green just like that you know. Which is surprising to see if you had a crush or your fate in your cell you eat all your meals here. Yes. How do you spend your time that is most of your 24 hour days right here. Well what does a man do. For the first several months I was locked up. The double wall cells are on the other side where there's. Scarcely any light at all there was absolutely nothing to do at all. You know my sheep and all my attempts to. Get anything go where I could you know have something to occupy my time. Was ignored by

everybody. But. I finally got them talking to me around this site. I say talking to actually they. Of course didn't have to move me if they didn't want to. But I guess they figure well you know what they all don't make any difference he stood still in the hole. So they agreed to move me around here and now. For whatever their reason and. Because I filed a suit. Against them for. Tampering with my mail withholding it in some cases delaying it in others losing it when I would write some of it. Not every bit of it you understand but some of it. Opening reading legal mail net type of thing you know because of those things because they refused to deliver the. Newspaper I take which is the field I just International. Say. I finally you know got fed up and you get uptight about a lot of things in here and so I threatened by that which was an empty threat because I don't know anything about law. I. Finally managed to get word out and somebody else drew up a suit and I made nothing ever came of it but

of the pressure was put on a little. And they agreed to give me the sanction I like library privileges which I hadn't had in which they have refused me commissary privileges although limited. These types of things that ordinary human beings can expect to have you know once again it's not a privilege to have them it's something you need to know. I see the book on the bed there what type of reading you do. Well it's an escape type and helps me get over the wall so to speak you know out of this building it's science fiction. For the most part that novel particular and I will be a science fiction. By. Clifford Samake if you're interested. It's called Untitled out of. Their minds I believe. I've just started it. I find that that type of reading. Absorbs my. Mind you know so that I don't have to think about the other things that are oppressing me. And there are quite a few. One major thing of course is trying to get somebody to listen

long enough to understand it. Human beings are supposed to be caged. Their nature is not such that they're supposed to be caged in something like this. And what it does to people. But nobody wants to listen to that is that people are deceived into thinking you know that the people who get sent here are animals and deserve to be here but they're wrong. They're human beings just like everybody else because of circumstances. And the problems that are everybody else faces in society. Maybe all added on you know at one time or other a little bit more so than at other times these people have succumb to the thing. And consequently they end up in a prison and once. Once the judicial system gets its hooks in your body you've had your just here and you keep coming back because of a thing that's perpetuated. By the very nature of these places. There's nothing there's nothing rehabilitative or socially reforming about these places it on. How would you change it.

Well you're going to have me get ahead of myself. Because if I make the statement that I want to make about that right now everybody will turn their TVs off and start screaming that's a net down there you know. And I don't want to it's a pretty blunt statement but it's true and it needs it needs to be done I would like to go about. Answering it. In this way. I would first like to. To start off by talking about the people out there not the people in here. I know that your whole thing is set up by you to tell the people about here. But I feel that it's an interrelated. Situation. And that you have to deal with the problem and not the symptoms which is what we are. Basically. You're saying we as Bush prisoners are the symptoms of the problem. Yes. I believe that to be so. Oh. Man. Yes by all means go ahead. All right let's take France a just just to begin. I want to say. But from what I've experienced so far in my short life I have.

People. Are the most non-thinking animals. On the planet. Today. This is pointed out even more sharply by the fact that they have the ability to think where the other animals don't have their act by instinct. You know. People today have chosen to duck their head in the sand like an ostrich. And refuse to think about things that need to be thought about and need action. You know. They prefer to withdraw into their own little world. So to speak. You know. And push everybody off. This is fostered. By the. Very thing that society has become you know it's a sort of a thing on the street that is supposed to be in here about do your own time you know. Well. Unfortunately it's not true and here it is today. Everybody out there wants to do their own time. And they don't want to help. Better themselves by helping to better other people's situations. In here. People refuse to do their own time and

create a lot of problems. They'd still not do anything constructive about the problems. Having said that. The thing about people being non-thinking animals. I would like to try to. Just show you know a few things I'm not by any means. Well learning. On these on these conditions but this is just common sense stuff. I believe it to be common sense. Take for instance. The fact that while I read this little little blurb in a magazine. And it said something about Big Brother is still watching you and charging more for his services which is you know an eye catcher. And then underneath it this title. With great long words I can't pronounce and certainly can't remember now. But the upshot of the thing was that. We had paid the government our government had paid twenty three thousand dollars to somebody to research. Why children fall off a three wheeled vehicles why three wheeled

vehicles turned over. $23000. You know how many people who would face. OK I can tell you one you know and I don't know anything about. The nature of children at the age who are interested. In three wheeled vehicles. Pricing. Is such that their minds don't control their body. They don't understand the functions of their muscles yet they're not together. So they're basically clumsy and unstable. And they fall off of things it's it happens you look around you they fall. Often if they fall down they run into doors and think it looks a little silly but they do it. And that's the reason they do it. Because they don't understand about three wheeled vehicles. The nature of a three wheeled vehicle is that it is basically unstable and it will fall over and it will slow its owner's horns at you you know. Ok but how is this taking us into society and look at the present right. The fact.

That. The government can get away with doing something like that this is a small thing. They do it with millions of dollars every year and they don't say hey folks out there can we spend your money this way. They spend it and in many cases they don't even tell you they spend it that way. This is not thinking on the part of the people. The non-thinking is that they refused to take an active part. In governing our lives that's what this country is supposed to be set up about you know what I mean. We're supposed to govern ourselves right. That's what the Constitution says anyway I got a copy of it back here. But we don't do it. We say instead these people who are running our government who we vote into office which is our part. They're more intelligent than we are. They know more about this type of thing they know how to run the government you know and I don't know anything about running the government so why should I leave it to them. They'll take care of me. And don't you know that all politicians stand right of Apache right on the head and says yes service and that's the way it is now you know we're good buddies and I won't take care of you.

And the people have been taken for a ride. And they won't do anything about it. That's not something. That's Let's bring it closer to home down the prisoner Kenny Warner. Got to go into one more thank you here. Texas. The people I mean taxed blind. You know. And they don't even put it all together and think about all the taxes that they're paying they get a paycheck a small one usually. They've got to feed a family they've got to feed their own faces. You know with this check that they get. They work hard for that money. Do you know that the government charges your mind just to make money for the privilege of making money to stay alive. They do it. It's called income tax. They have a tax on a tax. Never heard of the surtax. No. If you are unfortunate enough to have to spend some money on something. To buy some groceries or something you got a sales tax. You get all the in-between people who take their cut. That's another tax. Just like I'm going to follow. Just think about all the taxes that you pay it to not do anything about.

They tell you. In a palatable way. We need to defend this country against the rotten Russians you know like communists are really bad people they're going to take over and come swarming over the country if we don't protect you. So give us billions of dollars to do it with. What do you think about it. Didn't make any sense to me they can't get over here unless we let them come away in the first place and they're really not all that aggressive. Those people over there and the government. The counterpoint is here you know all the people that cause the trouble not the people in Russia or China. Aid. Europe or whatever. Those people are hard working stiffs just like everybody else and they have the same problems and a few more added because of the fact that the government has even a stronger stranglehold on. That's the only difference. They're not looking to take over countries. OK OK now it's come to the present situation. The fact that we were once out there. Makes us a part of society. The fact that we

are human beings still makes us a part of society. No matter where you put us how deep you bury us. That is a fact. Right. OK you can't get away with it we're behind walls where you can't see us. And you can turn your head and say out of sight out of mind if you want to but we're still here. Most of us are going to get out of here one of these days. And you're going to be shocked over and over again and you're going to listen to the people who scream and holler about law enforcement and crime control and all that crap. And all you're doing. Is listening to scare talk. It's designed to keep you the people under closer control because by controlling the so-called criminal element in society the people are being controlled. You ever read anything about people getting their house but broken into by so-called narcotics agents. When they make that mistake. They say well a. Lot of people raise hell about it rather they said well we need to get the one down the street we're sorry you know. But if somebody happened to have gotten killed in the

process you know what is just too bad. We were talking before this thing started. And I mentioned the fact. That you people are living in a police state. And I know that. If you're thinking about it it's a little frightening. You know. And in order to. Keep it from being frightening you say he's a nut. You know we're not. But it's true. The only thing lacking at this point that I can see is the official recognition. You know that's the only thing like. In practice the way our government is set up today the way it works not the way it's supposed to be not the ideal. But the way it's working. Is. That they can do anything they want to with any individual in this country. They suppressed systematically you know press everybody. Not just me but everybody out there if I should ever get back out there I'll be in the same pressures and problems that I was in before I came here. The same ones that

those people are in under. Now. They talk about minorities. The black people in this country want to minorities. They're not a minority here. The red people. Are not a minority here but you can see. They're not a minority. And all the other colored people are people of color. They're not the minority. The minority in this country. Is the elite supposedly. Ruling class of people the moneyed people. The people who have power. To do with what they want. These are the people who are in the minority in this country and they are the people who are running like. You cry about all the problems that the minority races have. In this country. Those people up there are causing it. That's right.

Society is perpetuating the problems by refusing to recognize it and do something about it. I know that sounds silly to you maybe you know but it's true. You've got to think about it sooner or later because it's what's happening. Prisons are a result of that. Prisons have never solved one damn thing. They have. You have never seen or heard anybody going into a prison system and coming out a better person. It doesn't happen it can happen the very nature of the place. Makes it impossible for it to happen. People like these people extort money from you folks and tell you that we're rehabilitating those criminals when. They're not. Rehabilitation cannot exist in a penitentiary situation and in a penitentiary setting. It can't. It's impossible. And it doesn't exist I'm telling you the truth it doesn't exist. This is not rehabilitation I mean right now the cost. Of these penitentiary is fun. Think about the guards that are employed in the penitentiary all across the United States. There are

thousands and thousands of them and every one of them are getting a paycheck and you folks are paying for you know. Now what are they giving you in return. You say peace of mind. You say they're keeping the criminals in and the people out. And not doing anything for you folks. Just as I said a minute ago we're going to get out of here one of these days. Maybe not me but somebody is going to get out here one of these days in large numbers they do it every day and they're going to go right back out there and assess society and they're going to be worse people than what they were when they came in here and the reason is because you're not doing anything about it. And you can you can scream and holler all day long. Well it's not my place to do anything about it. You know you got yourself in there with your problem. You know me. Why do you house gets burned down. When you get your money stolen from you then holler it's not your problem anymore it is your problem. These people know people don't steal and take money just because they are lazy or rotten or some

kind of animal. They don't do that. They do it because they got problems they can't get any money they can't get a decent job. When they come out of prison they can't get a job at all because of the fact that they are ex-convicts they can't get a job. What else can they do. They got to they don't have a job they gotta eat. There's no alternative. All right. Again I say all this money that you people are. Putting out. For supposed rehabilitation is being taken away from you. You're being taken for a ride. At the risk. Of really getting myself in trouble now I'm going to make that statement that I. Didn't make a while ago. Prisons have got to be torn down. The reason they got to be torn down. Is because they are doing absolutely nothing constructive. They never have and they never will. People are making a living off of people's misery that's all that's happening in prison.

Would you replace them with anything so good. And at less cost to you folks which should be some kind of motivating force in a sense I understand that's what all the folks out there in the state. Are worried about. There is a program that is month early researchers. From what I know about it it's workable. My understanding of it makes it for me certain that it is for. You. I'm not talking about jails. I'm talking about I want to talk about regional centers. Where people with problems instead of being sent to a dungeon to rot. Can be dealt with instead. And in some sort of rehabilitated man you know what I mean. You rehabilitation the word means to restore to some former state right. It doesn't mean to mold or make something in any image that you want it made into. It means to restore something. OK now if you just restore the man to what he was before he got

caught all you'll be doing is wiping out his conviction. You see his stupid claim first. He got to do something with. People out there are not going to listen to. Just let it convict. I mean criminals go. You know when I got here then and they should. But what they should hear and what they should listen to and what they should get behind and do something about physically as well as mentally and as well as putting up their money for these things. They should get in there and try to do something about it try to help people. If they don't and these prisoners continue to be. They. Or their kids or their wives or their relatives. Many end up in these places. Maybe not in every instance but that. The probability of is growing more and more so every day. There. The probability of them becoming a victim of some petty crime. Becomes greater every day that something isn't done constructively. To alleviate the problem the problem is not in here. Again. We're only the symptom of the problem. The problem is in society.

If the problem is that people refuse. To say good morning to one another when they walk down the street nobody reamed thanks about doing it. It used to. But nobody ever bothers to do that. They go home and set out in front of the television set and listen to some clown tell them all about the news. You know. Have a few beers and hit the sack get up and go to work the next morning you know and expect everybody to do the same thing and I think. People can exist that way. There has to be interaction. My problems are not going to get solved. The other people in this penitentiary problems are not going to get solved. If it's OK if nobody does anything about it. You know what I mean. I want to you had obviously some time to think about these things and have done a great deal of thinking about it. We appreciate you. Sharing your thoughts and ideas with us here. I do have one other question though about one of your decorations in here this change gears here for a moment tell us about the map on the wall.

What he do with that. I don't know why you want to bother to talk about it is not important. That's another form of escape as I take trips on the land. How do you take a trip on a map. Well I like to read something in a you know. A book or something. You know. And of course the author has his own idea about what's happening in a particular location you know. But usually authors are fairly prolific you know and they can make you see something you know so. That you can. You know country. Africa. You know. And. Well. Africa. This a boy says this about Africa. I know there are a lot of black people that you know. And I get to thinking about in the same way now I'm on this place in this locale you know that he brings out for me and I take a little trip now to the streets and look at the people and see their clothes you know and how they talk. I can understand him in Africa complaint but I hear it anyway. I sometimes go across the United States up in a few places in the United States I've been to Yellowstone.

And like a fool walked out on the cross to the some of those crazy things out there but I was younger then and I do this sometimes you know and it's very easy to escape the borders of the United States on that map. And I do it. And it occupies a little time before I got that map. I think the Encyclopedia Brittanica people sent it to me at my request they were trying to sell me books they don't know who I am and they don't know me. Here they probably wouldn't. They also sent me out. A little booklet with 2000 facts in it about you know different things. Again at my request and again because they don't know who I am that I don't have any money. And. So. At their expense I take these trips. Like I say it's nothing more than an escape escape type of thing. Oh I get it. I drew lines. You know. Little squares on the wall. And painted them different colors and counted all the different colors.

Well thank you Warner. My time is gone. We've been talking to. I was state penitentiary inmate Warner Kelly. Twenty nine years old he's in sort of a lock up in what's known as the hole here at the state penitentiary. For you right away. There were a couple of things that I've been thinking about that I haven't said at all and it's about what. What's going on in prison. Not necessarily this one this one. Is not nearly the worst but I read about and I read about it in the paper I talked about. I can't begin to tell you about. That are perpetrated against the people in the penitentiary. I can't even begin to do. But these people can't. They gather the information from all across the country and they put it in print form where you can read about it. If you people would really like to know. Not listening to wardens and what have you about what they say is going on about their. Palpable press releases. If you would like to really know what's going on then I suggest that you get together a little bit of cash a very small amount. Send it to. The prisoners digest

international Box eighty nine I was saying. I want five. Two to four I believe is the zip code. And tell them the same you the paper. That's all. I read about it for yourself. They'll tell you about what's going on in your. Work.