◆ SpookStack

speakine figuratively, I've had to\.ive a forty-efgirtotr day to get ali of the work done, and on the Death Row of course it’s true that the lights are left on all night, and veu turn them off when you're ready to go to sleep, or - to bee, bo tiie cGek. ¢. xaurs of how much you want 60 Work, er how Jung yuu want to work, or the conditions under which you want to work. I've been willing to do a 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 atthe 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, azid 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 learn 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 jocked 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 I ‘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 1eel that even before you went in that 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 ‘guiley’ verdict. { was very much angered by it, and I deciued aimost at that point, aitnougn une decision was aimost emoionai -rainer (oan snceliecuual, {£ would put in colloquial terms ‘reaily gel in unu dig on this myself’. 1 was determined if possivie to. give Luese death sentences back to the State of Canrerma ; unused, ana consequently, it was almost at that point thet] ase hs Pa a npn A Smt ett ix WaS an emotional dedication you might say to the proj- | ect.” . “Have you ever started your own law library, as an alecney would?” an “ua, Lf have many books of my own that I feit were particwary needed, ana in addition to that | haa to pre- pure a book m manuscript torm of my own Witn regard | Oo l@ueral practice ana procedure tnat reiated to sae] Cuure CulivicuiGns in ermmnal cases, because y coud rand j HOUNN, Wrecuy Mi yesawon LO Cefuvrary, WHat CONSULULER ; 4 1edesal quesuon, how the quesvions nad to be presenved, | wverprevavwon ana court ruies, and EnnEs of Wnae nature.” : “save you ever U1ougnt about veconnng an artor- : ney:” . ; vie “yhis-is probably the trauma of this experience. I doubt i: su eves Walt to see a 1aW book again.” “,youlad you say tnat your conmmement im a ceil proviucd wae mnpes for scudying iaw books, writing yiieaS aud vesi’ sellers? -, “ar yowul 100K av my background, unfortunately, I “pppaseduy wave edcrtea ebay sane rive to wnat sane ‘ae,gree mn leas that were not considered socially ucccpt- oO Cuusequenuy tmis lorceu upon Me tne Nevessily og. cnanneung wiese arifes into someuning thac was more sucsauy aCCRpea, DUL L Teel tnat this seems to be au ai- most Cuuilpuusive Need, Alnougn 4 Use That Word very BaUURilbay, «LO. pe acuve, to uo someuning, and ive «au vie Uppuecdllucy nere OF CUdsse VO cnannel. 1b inco moie creauve leius, ana ratner -Oue ake a Salbegdu, and reauy not be aireccey to any ger . © awe. ibe, or Caen," , wian simply naving 10 exploue — o Wut you continue to be a professional, writer. if“EWTH yur Areeuom?” a “4 ain ueverminea vo become a novelist worth his sali and 12 wunk given anocher ten years 3 ey make tna grade. ; “Po you feel thal yeur books bave bad (he social impact. taal you wanted Unent to save?” “4 yesieve Wa the bovks, coupled wilh Une case, has had a vey wéaiony social impace m the. sense tnab Ww very uauwse—t.e controversias nature—of this casé, plu tne 1act wnat the otlier side of tne picture could be pre sentea by w man benind bars, has nad a very salucar exec, ia my upinion, on puolic opinion, and it could plac ciis Prod iagat in perspective and right in the rore ground oi tne pablic mund, which I think is a very health thing and something tnat is very critically needed. ; i've been accused and probably with considerable jus tification of being a pamphieteer, and I don’t mind the designation a bit.” “This problem you referred to, is it the problem f your case, or of capital punishment?” —, ‘| “Well, not capital punishment per se, let's just so t& theory of retribution or retributive justice is the lor ically or socially valid approach to the problem of crin. inahty.” “Well, going on that, from the sociological afiEle, how do you feel that society Should take care of those who offend or continually break Society's laws?” , “Well, ali I_can answer is to give a personal exampi ‘I, 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 emplov to designate one who apparently is . odds with himself or his fellows and is a hopeless sort : a being or person and I feet that I’ve demonstrated rath: conclusively, without beating my own drum here, that is possible to help these people or to help themselves fh themseives 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’ tha. who cannot be rehabilitated. I would say there are unque tionably those who cannot learn to adapt themselves the rules of socjal Hving under the present-methods - , approaches that is being used in this problem, but I don ifee] that, as a consequence, we Should say thal it is-in 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 ew cational means that it is essential to jettison this conce; of retributive justice and the concept that good citizc ship can be coerced. I think I have demonstrated co jclusively in my own case that it wasn't possible to coer. ime, it wasn’t possible to punish me and it wasn’t possfe ‘to say that ‘we're going to force you to be good,’ and use that word ‘good’ advisedly, in the common social w: it’s accepted. You have to have some more affirifati- and creative approach, I believe.” . : ‘_._.. (Continued Tomorrew) em a sen cae ame oc A AN A EAE CAEN et aera re ee