In Our Care: Episode 10 - Fort Madison Part 2

this is a maximum-security here the doors are locked two ways here's a man in his cell and he is pursuing a hobby they go in their selves before dark and for a certain period of time are free to follow their own activities within the cell they have headphones and they can listen to radios they can read you'll notice the headphones on the man there as he reads his newspaper after certain amounts of time in the cell and getting ready for this and that they go out to eat now the dining hall is near the center of the compound and here we see the men filing out of their cells in a definite order they're always in the same position with regard to their cell mates as they go into the dining hall as they sit any here we see them filing in and sitting down there's no talking here everything was very quiet orchestra plays in the middle gives the music to eat value notice the many many attendants they can have what they want extra by holding up the fingers and signaling I think you're going to ask a question why are these men here well they're here because they have committed crimes against society their crimes include robbery burglary fraud forgery morals charges assault manslaughter and murder some are criminals by choice and others because they could not cope with their problems what about those who couldn't cope with their problems and soft the easy way out through criminal activities well I have a man who might give you that answer my second interview at Fort Madison was very interesting and here it is as Tom Runyon told you earlier the present editor of the Presidio as matt henry and so i decided i'd like to interview matt this evening to i was looking over a copy of the presidio of this month and incidentally I think this Presidio is available for outside isn't it it sure is we're anxious for them at a dollar a year now hurry year you'll send it out to anybody anywhere well I was looking through this copy of the Presidio and I noticed a very interesting article on group therapy I have run across this business of group therapy and most all of the state institutions and I considered the use of it in a prison to be very unusual Matt how long has that been going on here about two years and a half now who started dr. graves well he is head of the mental health injectors and mental institutions how long have you been in the group therapy I've been in about 15 or 16 months now how did you get in well when I first came here I was told about it and asked if I would be interested in something of that nature when I learned a little more about it I was interested and I put in my application it's purely voluntary the entirely acts after you get in it do you have to stay for a certain length of time no there that's the old keynote of the program it's strictly permissive they can come for a few meetings or we can come for all of them or we can drop out at any time or when we drop out we can rejoin I see once you're in you can come and go as you please with in that group that's the way it is well now could you tell me how it works well it works very well first starts out with people just getting together in the group trying to find out what is wrong with themselves that's the whole question is what what is wrong with us what can we learn about ourselves what can we do about it when we do find out some do you have a psychologist directing these sessions or dr. graves comes down about every six weeks or two months and he sits in with us but for the most part they are strictly run by the inmates and by the group's themselves well I say you just get together then and try to help each other i defined a problem you just talk things out there that's the thing I'm interested in in the form of this thing you sit around the table and talk no to get a group feeling to get the feeling of unity we sit in a circle so that there's no one outstanding old leader of the group everybody is there as a member and they just talk things over they bring out various things that have been troubling them and ask others for their views on that how do you start one of these sessions well generally just by asking the group leaders is called just starts the ball rolling by asking if anybody's been having any difficult problems during the past week and somebody brings up their problem and everyone talks about it in other words everyone tries to help one person with his individual problem is that it way sort of exploring the thing well have you been able to be helped by that well I think so what is your opinion of the success of such an action I think that it has a great deal of merit and possibilities that are just beyond calculation as each man learns a few new things about himself and those are passed on to the others in the group they all benefit it makes for more equanimity within the individual they are easier to get along with they can they can take it a lot better I also mean it makes them more sociable as you say I would say so easier to get along with other people and maybe even with themselves with themselves principally principally your main thing is is a matter of personal adjustment than to your environment that's it so that you can adapt yourself to whatever conditions may arise how long is one of these sessions two hours for the most part say runs on Wednesday Thursday and Friday there's a group at seven until nine and others from nine to leave after promote days well this sounds very interesting to me as a matter of fact it sounds like something that most anyone in most any place could use to a very great advantage thank you very much Matt for telling us about it thank you the port medicine they seem to be treating these prisoners as human beings there seems to be some effort to rehabilitate them and not let them just either work or sit in their cells if you followed the series through the mental institutions you've seen this group therapy before and I think it is very interesting as I said they seem to have changed and you don't just either work or sit in your cell these days let's go inside again and look at the way the men work now as the picture we showed you before was the way the wagons and cars get in it was called the wagon gates this is the way a man will get in when he's walked he goes through one gate this is the second gate that he goes through this is one turnkey inside he is turned over to a second turnkey who takes him to an outside gate now watch closely you will notice that the man goes out into a compound there the doors closed that door has to be closed before the outside door can be open now he pulls back the lever and the man goes on out you can see that it would be rather difficult for unauthorized people to get in here is a man working in the furniture industry and Fort Madison they make regular furniture that is sold through the stores in Iowa fine furniture it is to your man is doing some upholstery work this isn't a small industry this is an automatic lathe which is making a bed leg here a man is sanding down another piece of furniture the textile industry is very interesting here under one roof cotton is handled from the cotton gin through woven fabric this is an unusual operation to do everything under one roof this man is sewing shoes they have a rather large shoe factory there and shoes are made for the other institutions and other inmates and patients this is a shaping machine less than 50 men out of the twelve hundred and seventy were skilled in any trade here they're able to learn for instance printing there what they learn to use their time profitably here a man is making a special rug with an emblem hooked rug this of course is part of the work duties of the men here they cook the food that the men you