Browse Items (902 total)

One guard has several jobs and thus often sleeps at his post.

A typed observer report written by Delvin E. Benjamin on March 16th, 1973

Cells in Blocks 3 and 7 are tidy. However, the gym floor is torn up, there are no pool tables/card tables/ping-pong tables, and the walls outside the cells need cleaning.

Bergstrom lists several incidents, including a man not getting paid for working in the kitchen, another prisoner's outbreak over the phone, and the hospital being crowded with patients due to a drug problem.

Prisoners are thankful for observer presence. They express complaints about guards cutting into their visiting time, lack of medical aid, and disrespectful behavior by guards.

Citizen observer describes schedule of the day during 7-3 shift on April 10, 1973. He notes lack of thorough post-visitor searches and tactics to discourage citizen observers.

While the prison is relaxed on the surface, there is underlying anxiety for both the prisoners and the guards. Recently, a "dangerous situation" occurred, in addition to prisoners being drugged. Bigelow asserts that several major decisions must be…

Prisoners suspect that guards are hiding weapons.

Prisoners suspect that guards are hiding weapons.

There were only two observers in the prison, who Bigelow sent to Block 10.

There were only two observers in the prison, who Bigelow sent to Block 10.

Albert Bigelow reports on an uncooperative observer, and Eames mentions that there are very few armbands remaining.

Bigelow notes the comings and goings of people, as well as conversations about guards and observers.

Bigelow records the actions of guards throughout her shift.

Bigelow overhears a door guard saying "we held them up," presumably meaning the guards purposefully exhausted the observers by not letting them into the prison. One visitor is angry about the rapists being allowed furloughs.

Civilians complain about the observer system.

Civilians complain about the observer system.