About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

29 Fed. Probation 44 (1965)
The Role of the Rat in the Prison

handle is hein.journals/fedpro29 and id is 46 raw text is: FEDERAL PROBATION legal restraints The statistical findings were not significant. . The only conclusions that could be drawn were the following: (1) Former parolees who again reverted to drugs after completion of their sentences ap- peared to realize that parole was a type of crutch which helped them to abstain from drugs while on parole but they were ill-pre- pared to face society and its demands without the supportive casework service tendered by the parole officer. Having become aware of the re- moval of the support, these addict-parolees suc- cumbed to developing anxieties and frustrations and eventually returned to drugs to allay their fears. This would-suggest the presence of a seg- ment in the addict population which can respond favorably to a longer lasting type of structured environment and who are prepared to organize their lives around it. (2) Those parolees, who subsequently con- tinued to abstain from drugs and by whom parole was no longer needed as an emotional crutch, responded negatively and were of the opinion that an indefinite extension of parole would be of no value. This segment of the addict- parolee population utilized the resources of the Division of Parole as a halfway structure to help them learn to stand on their own two feet and by the maximum expiration of their sentences had attained sufficient growth and stability to continue to function in a socially approved manner in the community without ex- ternal help. The introduction of an escalator provision in the law for the extension of an adjudged drug user's sentence, to provide for his supervision after release on parole for a period of 3 or *5 years, offers food for thought. The extension of supervision would not guarantee success in the form of continued abstinence in every case. However, the findings above are suggestive that a portion of the addict-parolee population would be helped to abstain from drugs for a longer period of time than under the present laws. The size of this segment cannot be ascertained from the study described because of the small samp- ling. Nevertheless, the responses received from those who reverted to drugs after having demon- strated an ability to abstain while under parole supervision lends support to this suggestion. The Role .of the Rat in the Prison BY HARRY A. WiLMER, M.D.* Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California Medical School, San Francisco, and Consultant, California Department of Corrections N MAY 1961 a living group program was begun at San Qpentin Prison, inaugurating a state- wide program known as-ICE (Increased Cor- rectional Effectiveness).1 Prisoners are selected by a base expectancy test which predicts probable parole success. The majority of the men are in the medium risk range for parole success. There are usually about 60 inmates in the unit. All are in minimum custody status; they live together in the 0 Dr. Wilmer served as psychiatric consultant to the program dis- cussed in this article..The opinions expressed are thos of the author only. The San Quentin ICE program has been under the administative control and support of Fred Dickson. warden; Rihard Achuff, asso clate waren for care and treatment; and Irvine Marks and Howard MeGarry, supervylsi counselors. Hary4. Wiler. A Living Group Experiment atSaQunn Prisn o~recseh P cTv and Jouneal f.. So ia T/hmn', Mah , H. A. Wilmer. Good Guys and Bad Guys, Cormtiond Pachit end Jourital of social Them (in press). ranch just outside the walls, work together and meet as a community with staff for 1 hour 5 nights a week. They also meet in small groups twice a week. And there is a husband-and-wife group once a week. A total family group including children as well as parents meets once a month. Parole agents from a special ICE unit in San Francisco visit the community meetings regu- larly. These agents accept inmates on their case- load in the last 60 days of the inmates' stay in the prison. The men can select their own agents if a vacancy exists in the agent's 30-man caseload. The agents continue both large and small groups on the streets with the ICE parolees as a bridge to the community. A study of the. program entitled Good Guys and Bad Guys has been reported.2)

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most