Browse Items (1263 total)

One prisoner in block 10 was transferred with only one hour of prior notice. Moreover, breakfast was delayed, causing tension between prisoners and guards.

Bayne warns of the risk that the observer program can lose credibility if prisoners are punished for things told in confidence to observers. He urges for observers to respect prisoners' privacy, be sensitive to the prisoners' situation when talking,…

Bayne warns of the risk that the observer program can lose credibility if prisoners are punished for things told in confidence to observers. He urges for observers to respect prisoners' privacy, be sensitive to the prisoners' situation when talking,…

One prisoner notes that the doors leading outside were not closed until 8:30 pm. He suspects that this is intentional, to cause an "escape" or other incident.

A guard had spilled milk and didn't clean it up, leading prisoners to complain about the smell.

Observers were "forced" to sign releases, which Becker describes as an attempt to intimidate them.

Prisoners walk around hand-in-hand with women, presumably as couples.

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.

Ad Hoc Committee letter asking for supporters to attend a meeting to address crisis at Walpole

The observers record subjects such the presence of a reporter.

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.