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NFU, ASUN sponsor
prison reform panel
The Chairman of the
Legislature's Law Enforcement
and Judiciary Advisory
Committee aked students in
the Nebraska Union Ballroom
Tuesday how they expect to
get money for a new penal
complex when the Legislature
won't even appropriate money
for an addition to Love
Library.
Sen. Roland Luedtke was a
member of a seven-man panel
discussing prison institutions
and reform being sponsored by
the Nebraska Free University
and ASUN.
He said the only way to
get bills passed to improve the
lot of prisoners is for people to
contact their state legislator
and express an interest in
prison reform.
Luedtke said he is
enthusiastic about the
possibilities of the new
eight-man legislative
committee. "I am trying to get
Sen. Chambers of Omaha to
feel some of that enthusiasm,"
he said.
The senator said committee
members have taken a trip to
Wisconsin to inspect the Box
Lake Institution there. "The
warden introduced us to what
he calls 'habilitation,' the
process of giving prisoners an
ability in educational and
vocational areas they have
never had," he said.
Luedtke said committee
member Sen. Terry Carpenter
kept saying "This isn't a
prison, it's a college campus."
The chairman said the
committee has had imput from
prisoners and has studied such
things as the possibility of
conjugal visits by inmates'
wives and furloughs for
prisoners.
Rozman . . .
Continued from page 1 .
Healey: "How do you
manifest leadership?"
Spelts: "He was part of the
leading group."
Healey persisted in asking
how Spelts had concluded
Rozman had been one of the
leaders of the demonstration.
Spelts responded, "because I
said so," and Healey asked no
further questions.
Flavel Wright, attorney for
the Regents, asked Spelts if he
had asked to be a member of
the commission.
"I sure did not," he replied.
Wright then asked if it was
true the commission had a
"great deal of misinforma
tion". "Yes, sir," Spelts replied .
"BUT YOU WORKED as
best you could under the
circumstances?" Wright asked.
"Yes," Spelts replied.
Testimony was also heard
from Morris J. Bruckner, a
local attorney who worked
with a special faculty
fact-finding committee, known
as the Holtzclaw Committee,
which investigated Rozman's
involvement in the
demonstrations.
Bruckner related the
incidents of a Feb. 5, 1971
meeting attended by himself,
members of tbHoltzclaw
Committee, members of the
Board of Regents. NU Pres. D.
B. Varner, former Pres. Joseph
Soshnik, C. Peter Magrath
(then dean of faculties) and
Wricht.
BRUCKNER STATED he
The Cage' criticizes
American penal system
"The Cage", a play written, directed and
acted by a company of ex-convicts, held a
University of Nebraska-Lincoln audience
captive for 80 minutes Tuesday with its
indictment of the American prison system.
The only stage props used by the troupe,
The Barbwire Theater, were four khaki
blankets and a toilet stool in the center of
the stage.
The drama explores the relationship of
the four men who occupy the cell. The four
are Hatchet, whose name is indicative of his
favorite tool of trade; Doc, a domineering
homosexual; Jive, a recent college graduate
convicted of murdering his girl friend; and
Al, a crippled queen who becomes who
becomes jealous when Doc neglects him in a
play for Jive.
Caged together, they begin to prey off
one another and at one point one of the
actors says, "This isn't a cell; cells represent
life, cages represent death."
After the performance of "The Cage" the
actors returned to answer a wide range of
questions from the audience. They were
joined by Dede Ford who will replace Actor
Gary Pettinger, who will be returned to
prison. Pettinger has been out on an appeal
of a conviction for draft evasion.
Ford refused to comment on the death of
George Jackson, saying "he will always be a
friend of mine." All the actors are parolees
of San Quentin.
However Jerry Joyce said, "My personal
feeling is that George Jackson was
murdered. If he could have smuggled a gun
into that security area he wouldn t have
needed it. Anybody who could get a gun in
there could walk on water and through
walls "
The ex-convicts said that prison officials
discourage the inmates from grouping
together in a venture such as the Barbwire
Theater because they feel trouble will result.
"The warden should work diligently
trying to phase his operation out," Ross said
when asked what he felt a warden's job
should entail. "But they don't. They should
allow the inmates to get involved in projects
so that the better part of the inmates can
come out. A little humanity goes a long way
in an environment like that."
Ford stated emphatically that preferential
treatment is given to prisoners who were
prosperous or had high social status before
their conviction.
"Hell yes, man. It isn't very often that a
man like this is convicted but when he is in
custody he has everything at his disposal he
had outside."
He also said prisoners convicted of draft
violations are at the bottom of the prison
pecking order.
"Let's face it," he said, "the majority of
prisoners are pro flag-wavers. The draft card
burner is at that bottom of the ladder and he
is fair game for everybody."
felt the committee had fulfilled
its function, as stated. The
committee said Rozman did
not act inappropriately.
Rozman testified for more
than an hour. He recounted his
actions during the events of
May 4, 1970.
Rozman said he had been
part of the group which went
to the Selective Service offices
that day. He testified that he
had spoken with officials at the
draft board, and answered
"no" when asked if he had
done anything of a disruptive
nature there.
''Did you hold the
conscience of your act,"
Healey asked.
"Oh, yes," Rozman replied.
"I never say anything I don't
believe."
THAT EVENING Rozman
said he was with a second
group which left the meeting at
UMHF. for the ROTC building,
because "I don't like to be too
impulsive."
Rozman then described his
actions and observations during
the time he was in the ROTC
building.
"I still had a little optimism
about communicating with the
Nixon Administration," he
said. "I thought I was
communicating by being
there."
He said he later became
aware of the arrival of UNL
administrators at the building.
He entered the room where
they were "negotiating" with
students "to observe," he said.
The University of Nebraska Corn Cobs
presents
TC1
nriur
ii ii ii 1 1
1L 1L1L1LJ
BOB
SHOW
HOPE
After the NU-Iowa State
Football Game
Saturday,
November 6, 1971
Univ. Coliseum
Lincoln, Nebraska
8:00 p.m.
ALL SEATS RESERVED
$7.00 & $5.00 $3.00 Students
I j
Tickets Now on Sale
Student Union
1
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A'
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PAGE 2
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1971