◆ SpookStack

speaking figuratively, I've had ih ve a forty-elginhotr day to get all of the work done, and on the Death Row of course it’s true that the lights are left on all night, and ven turn them off when you're ready to go to sleep, or to bow. nu fie tuk, ¢. sours of how much you want «2 Work, er Dow Jung yuu want to work, or the conditions under which yon want to work. I've been willing to do # lot of work, and where the drive came from as you sug-. gested of course, is supplied initially by the fact that I, was facing an ultimate, and constantly confronted with it, and often right at “the door, almost literally, of the} gas chamber. But beyond that, I felt pretty strongly about some of the subjects connected with my own problem, and so there were some things I wanted to say, alid I felt that they simply had. to be said, and I didn’t know how much time I had left, and that too was quite an incentive which , Probably normally wouldn’t be encountered in a more ‘normal situation.” - “I almost had to Jearn empirically by the trial and , error process whether I could handle my own case. I didn’t know in advance whether I could or not, for there were |a great many handicaps being locked in a death cell— : Securing books, doing research, getting materials that were needed, transporting or having this matter mailed to the court, and dozeris of attendant or related problems, so ly ‘had to just feel my way, as it were.” “Did you just wake up one morning and. say that + you were going to try to do it yourself, ar did you reel that even before you went in (hat you were gong to fignt it yourself as much, as you could?” “I believe that my decision was probably made at the time of tne jury’s return of the ‘guiliy’ verdict. { was very much angered by it, and 1 deciued almost at that point, aitnougn the decision Was aumost emowonal rainer toan inceliecvual, { would put in colloquial terms ‘vgatly gel in unu dig on this myself’, I was determined if possivie to give luese death sentences back to the State of Camornia | ifused, ana consequently, it was almost at that point tl jv was an emotional dedication you might say to the proj- \ ect.” ss “Have you ever started your own law library, as an alerney would?” a “Ua, £ nave many books of my own that I felt were particwary needea, ana in addition to that 4 haa to pre- pare a book mm manuscript form of my own Witn regard; vo leweiai practice ana proceaure tnat reiated to scace} Cvure culivicuons in criminal cases, because ¥ couid nnd; wouMng wrecuy i Ye,auon LO Cefuurar, WHae constiturea ; a 1ede.al Quesuon, how the quesuons had to be presenved, | liverprevawon ana court rules, and tnings of Wace nature.” : “mave you ever Uteugnt about becoming an aitor- y inis- Is probably the trauma of this experience. I doubt 1 su e+er want to see a 1aw book again.” “youia you say tnat your conmmement m a ceil proviuca mc smpeus for scudying iaw books, writing vires aud vest sellers? . “ur youu 100K av my background, unfortunately, I paruy wave eaervea vhae sane Urive tp iaat same bueg:ee m lies that were nov considered sociahy acccpt- aye, 00 cuusequenty Unis lorceu upon Me tne Necessity o: cnaunewng unese arifes into somevning vhae was more suciany accepvea, DUL J Teel Lat Unis seems to be au ai- Mose cumipWsive need, Ailnougn 1 Use Wat Word very BAUUBNELY, LO, VE acuve, to uo someuung, and Lve mau wag, uppursdliy here OF Cuuse VO channel. Ib iio Mose creauve leius, and ratner Wan simply naving 1t exploue our HK @ Suvegdu, ANG reauy Not be airecvey to any ae- gi8G, or Caen.” nef ) “wouu you continue to be a professional, writer if piven yeuc ireeuom?” “4 ain uevermined vo become a novelist wor ih his sali and 4 wink given anocher ten years 2 6, make wna grade. “Do you feel that your books have had the social ipac. eat you wanted tent te vey" “a vetieve Luae the bovks, coupied wilh the case, hav had a Vey we€aiony social impace In the. sense wnat w very lidutue—t.e controversia: nature—of this case, pit une 1act wnat the otlier side of tne picture could be pre sentea by 2 man benind bars, has nad a very saiucar es.cCv, in my vpinion, on puolic opinion, and it coud plac tnis promern igat M1 perspective and right in the fore ground o: we public mind, which.I think is a very health thing and something that is very critically needed. ve been accused and probably with considerable ju: tification of being a pamphileteer, and I don’t mind the designation a bit.” | “This problem you referred to, is it the problem f your case, or of capilal punishment?” “Well, not capital punishment per se, le just so tth theory of retribution or retributive justice is the lor ically or socially valid approach to the problem of crim inality.” “Well, going on that, from the sociological afi£le, how do you feel that society Should take ‘care of those who offend or continually break society's laws?” , “Well, all I.can answer is to give a personal exampi tI, of course, have been diagnosed psychiatrically and th “word has also been used epithetically as a constitution: psychopath or a sociopath or by whatever term you 4: pleased to employ to designate one who apparently is . odds with himself or his fellows and is a hopeless sort » a being or person and I feel that I've demonstrated rath: conclusively, without beating my own drum here, that is possible to help these people or to help themselves fit themselves and they are capable of doing something c! ative as well as something negative or destructive or . odds with the social system.” _“And what about those who can’t be rehabili- tated?” “That begins with the premise that there aré the. who cannot be rehabilitated. I would say there are unque tionably those who cannot learn to adapt themselveS the rules of social living under the present-methods - , approaches that is being used in this problem, but I don i feel that, as a consequence, we should say tiiat it is possible completely to reach those men. or to give. the {an opportunity to make some sort of satisfactory adjus iment that is acceptable to themselves and to society.” “The problem is convincing the public by some eur cational means that it is essential to jettison this conce; of retributive justice and the concept that good citize ship can be coerced. I think I have demonstrated co {clusively in my own case that it wasn't possible to coer ime, it wasn’t possible to punish me and it wasn’t possfc to say that ‘we're going to force you to be good,’ and use that word ‘good’ advisedly, in the common social wi it's accepted. You have to have some more affirifiati- and creative approach, I believe.” _....._ (Continued Tomorrow)