Herald A lantern 21 April '82

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the arts

Witnesses to Civilization

by Cheryl Crewi-Lynch It’s been one year since this tulip last bloomed at the shore: a full cup, spilling over, filling days of twelve months to the brim and then some. Spring is here! Another beginning, and the time to renew this column (Pamting, From The Ground Up), aimed at the art of seeing. Last year this time, I was gathering thoughts and flowers for my wedding on the beach, stepping into two other worlds: marriage and Washington, D.C. As an artist, I plunged into both, and had hoped to'bhare experiences along the way, as "Washington Correspondant." However, I found myself in over my neck, and could not find a boating typewriter. Having witnessed the "scene” in Washington ff(r a year, I can safely say that general reporting will not be outdated within a week’s time, for not only is all history cyclical, but things just don’t move that fast. FROM MY PERSONAL OBSERVATION on whatever small scale, may I say that there are plenty of dedicated workers down there, and enough variations of opinions to keep it flexible. Though I admit that I was not in Washington to observe politics, it is hard to ignore the immediacy of events. One week after my arrival in the Capitol, President Reagan was shot a few blocks from our residence; a year later, and one week before our departure, we caught a wave from him as his cavalcade, pulled away from the White House and past the Corcoran Museum of Art. Curious how we are placed in a certain spot at a certain time. Last April, when I joined my husband, sculptor Gerald Lynch, he was working on a large scale project, carving and sculpting at the National Cathedral, one of the last

Gothic cathedrals, and still in process of being built. As witness to the event, I wandered about the grounds and structure, finding spots and making drawings AS ARTISTS. WE SEEK OUTLETS for our work: places to show. Much of our attention*.was directed towards museums and other wall space, and artists of the present and past. Besides the "old standbys" on exhibit in the galleries, who never fail to inspire, such as Rem brandt’s Self-Portrait at 53, the Rodin Show, going strong at the National Gallery since June, brings instruction as well as beauty with its presentation of "the process" of sculpture. Contemporary exhibits in Washington were extended by the inclusion of my paintings and drawings, and Jerry’s sculptures at The David Lloyd Kreeger Hall of Art, sponsored by the Federal Arts Project, as well as Jerry's participation in an outdoor sculpture exhibit at the George Meany Labor Center, and one man show at the House of Representatives, Cannon House; sponsored by Congressman William Hughes. In Washington, one cannot help but get caught up in the vitality of that city. A cross-section on the world is there to observe in grand and open style. Being a part of it expands one’s horizons. After a stint there, choosing the solitude of Cape May County assures the pace and space for assimilation. As artists, we are witness to our civilization, and recorders of its essences. We hope to aid in its progression by our example. May this column be enlightening both to the writer and the reader. The Artist pouring Sand (pencil by Cheryl Crews-Lynch)

The Corrections System

viewpoint

The Spring ^Freeze’ by Edwin Fetilner Ah, Spring — the time when a youpg man’s fancy lightly turn to thoughts of nuclear holocaust. Yes, friends, it's the silly season again. And all across America cadres of darkly brooding citizens will come together on April 18-25 for a metaphysical awakening that, through the power of wishful thinking, will rid the world of nuclear weapons and allow us, once again, to sleep peacefully at night 4 The nuclear "freeze" movement, once confined to Harvard Yard and other repositories of enlightened thinking, is about to arrive on the doorsteps of Middle America. I hope you are ready for it. The Soviets are! Consider, for example, the Soviet Union's strategic buildup in Central Europe. Not content with the status quo, the Soviet Union has demonstrated its goodwill by adding an estimated 300 mobile SS-20 medium-range missiles to their Iron Curtain arsenal. Each of these missiles carries three atomic warheads The launchers also are equipped to be “reloaded" with three additional warheads. This means there are now 1,800 new atomic warheads aimed at France. Italy, Great Britain. th<v Netherlands, and Other allied powers in Europe A "freeze" would perpetuate the Imbalance — which might make for restful nights in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but not necessarily in Cambridge, England BUT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE SOVIETS, despite their occasional bluster, are really a bunch of sweethearts, right? Interestingly, for all of the moral outrage the "freezniks" display toward U S. participation in the ’arms race,' they seem to have a blind spot when it comes to the Soviets — not only their massive nuclear buildup, but even towards the chemical and germ-warfare atrocities the Soviets have been committing in Afghanistan, Laos and Kampuchea. The fact that the Soviets can’t be trusted and don’t show the slightest regard for human life is apparently viewed as still another reason for the United Statds to plunge ahead recklessly with a unilateral freeze. Surely the Soviets will follow suit? And if they don't, at least we will have a clear conscience. Evidence and logic to the contrary, the anti-nuke forces march on. This.month alone — by quiet coincidence, of course — eight new books with such titles as‘The Final Epidemic and Survive the Coming Nuclear War: How To Do It. are scheduled to be published. WITH INITIAL SEED MONEY from various foundations, including the Rockefeller Family Fund, an organization called "Ground Zero" is preparing for a week of "consciousn«» raising" designed to "educate" the public about the Mirrors of nuclear war. (Ground Zero is the term used to identify the detonation point of a nuclear blast). ( Obviously, anyone with even an ounce of sense will agree that nuclear war is an abominable thing to contemplate. It’s vitally important, however, for everyone to understand that U.S. power is intended to prevent nuclear war, not precipitate it. We don’t live in a wbrld in which schoolyard fantasies always come true. Whether we like it or not, it’s still us versus them. At a time like this an old saying copies to mind: "Wise men dream at night, fools both day and night." As you entertain every man’s dream of a more perfect world during Ground Zero Week, perhaps you’ll reflect on those words, before we "freeze" ourselves into selfparalysis: timid and afraid, unable and unwHIing to act, regardless of the consequences. Edwin Feulner is president of The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based public policy research institution'.

Prisoners Have Too Many Rights

by Sheriff Beech N. Fox Some people assume that a prisoner, once incarcerated, loses His civil rights. This is not correct . While it is obvious that a prisoner loses his right to freedom of movement and must live by institutions rules and regulations, the American judicial system has restored just about every legal right to a prisoner that is granted to the law-abiding citizen. It is my opinion that prisoners have too many rights and freedoms due to the current ultra-liberal interpretations of our Constitution. The overall result of this has done little or nothing to serve the best interests of the taxpayer or those who administer penal systems. There are situations where the prisoners literally control the prison systems! * THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PRISONER law-suits which have been filed at evei7 level of the court system during the past 20 years. Prior to this, it was generally court policy to observe what was known as the "hands-off doctrine" regarding prisoner’s rights. This view can be traced to the Virginia Supreme Court when it decided over 100 years ago that a prisoner was a "slave of the state," and therefore had no redress in the courts since he possessed no rights. A contemporary Federal Court of Appeals once explained the "hands-off philosophy by saying that correctional systems are the responsibility of the executive branch of government and that the courts would not interfere wfth the management and disciplinary control except in extreme cases.

In the 197ps Judge Donald P. Lay, a member of a Federal Court of Appeals claimed that it was not the desire of the courts to run the country’s prisons. In 1974 he wrote that judges possess no expertise in the internal operations of prisons. In this same article he commented that solutions to correctional problems cannot be found in the courtroom or in court decisions. I fully agree. There is evidence to support much of this contention, but as with other massive social and political changes, the pendulum surely has swung into an "overcorrecUng” position. FAR TOO MANY COURT DECISIONS are in favor of the prisoner and have tied the hands of prison administrators. Continued movement in this direction may eventually destroy the ability to maintain necessary and fair control over the behavior of prisoners. From the hundreds of decisions continuing to affect prison operations across the land, let’s single out several representative examples: ON CONFINEMENT - A 1974 New York City decision found that a person being held on as yet unproven charges "may not be deprived of the rights of other citizens beyond the extent necessary to assure his appearance at trial, and the security of the institutiorf’to which he is confined" — even though he may have a previous record of violent crime or prison behavior. ON CORRESPONDENCE - Federal courts have held that there be no censorship of either outgoing or incoming mail, nor any limitations on the person or persons to whom an inmate may write. (The taxpayers pay for all mail costs of indigent inmates.) ON PRISONER CLASS/F/CATfON - A 1974 New York City decision held that maximum secuftty is unnecessary

for 80 per cent of a jail population under most circumstances ^nd ordered jail administrators to eliminate certain features of their security system. ON DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES - A 1975 N.J Supreme Court decision stated that a Disciplinary Hear ing Board consisting of three members, one a civilian, must be convened to hear certain cases involving internal charges against a prisoner. At this hearing the complaint must be aired; the inmate given the right to confront his accusers, cross examine them, call witnesses; be entitled to counsel or counsel substitute, which would include the use of another prisoner in this role He must also be given written findings and decisions ON VISITING — In a 1973 Massachusetts decision the court held that contact visits by jail inmates arc constitutionally required for pre-trial detainees, that children of inmates must be allowed to visit and that one hour visitations be available for a minimum of three times a week. OTHER CATEGORIES OF RlGRTSdecisions deal with such constitutional questions atf religious practices, special diets, physical facilities, grooming and attire, access to courts and counsel, inmate safety, rehabilitation, work assignments. Most of these suits are based on the first, fourth, sixth, eighth and the fourteenth Amendments. It is ironic that some prisoners^ usually those with the least to complain about, suddenly become champions of individual rights after being sentenced to prison. These are the same people who had no such concern for the rights of their victims. This continuing series by Cape May County Sheri// Beech Fox has been condensed for space