Inmates lack space,
privacy for visitation
By Kirstin Swanson
Staff Reporter
In 1986, Marion Holmes, a 39
year-old maximum security pris
oner, was married in the Nebraska
State Penitentiary.
He has never spent a private
moment with his wife since their
marriage, and he is allowed only
one short kiss and a hug at the
beginning and end of each weekly
visit.
The Prisoners’ Rights Commit
tee is trying to get private visitation
approved. But Holmes said he
doubts the committee will ever
succeed.
Currently, Sen. Tim Hall of
Omaha is in the process of appro
priating $250,000 from the state’s
General Fund to expand the visit
ing area.
Holmes said the 50- by 100-foot
visiting lounge gets “pretty
crowded” during evening visita
tion hours and often another room
has to be opened.
At an October hearing, prison
ers told a legislative committee
that inadequate space for visitation
resulted in overcrowding and a
significant lack of privacy. The
prisoners also said there is not
_
enough room for visiting children
to play.
A sign on thedoor of the visiting
area says that the capacity for the
room is 335. However, Sonny
Pittman, a prisoner since 1981, said
the room is overcrowded with 100
people.
Pittman said the prisoners pro
posed private visitation in 1985 but
were told by prison officials that it
would “counter rehabilitative
goals.”
In 1986, the Wyoming Stale
Penitentiary set up trailers in the
prison yard that are used for up to
72 hours of private visitation. This
is ultimately what the prisoners at
the Nebraska State Penitentiary
would like, Pittman said.
Pittman said the biggest prob
lem with not having private visita
tion for married prisoners is that
their marriages don’t last, and
when the prisoner is released he
doesn’t have a relationship to re
turn to. This leads to the ex
convicl’s return to the prison,
Pittman said.
Other stringent rules exist in the
visitation room, Pittman said. Of
fenders must remain seated except
to use the restroom or get a drink of
water. Security guards arc on hand
j.p. caruso/Daily Nebraskan
The Holmes family (from left, Kizzie, Barb, Brandon and Marion) spend time together
during visiting hours at the Nebraska State Penitentiary.
to reprimand prisoners who don’t
follow these rules. A visit may be
terminated if the prisoner refuses to
abide by the rules set.
Holmes said his wife, Barb, and
two children visit him as often as
they are allowed to, which is once
a week. Holmes said he wishes they
could visit more often.
The Prisoner’s Rights Commit
tee has been working for five years
to improve visitation in the prison
system.
“Although it’s a start,” Pittman
said, “it’s not all we hoped for.”
Snowball fight prompts committee formation
By Mary Nell Westbrook
Senior Reporter
The “Great Snowball Fight” in
November that caused about $10,000
worth of damage spurred the creation
of a new committee to establish better
rapport between residence hall and
Greek students.
James Griesen, vice chancellor for
student affairs, said residence hall
students need to get more involved on
campus. “There’s a conception that
Greeks control everything,” he said.
But, he said, the Greek students arc
the only ones who apply for student
government and other board posi
I
tions. “These are fine people,” he
said, “but we need more diversity.”
John Bergmeyer, second vice
president of the Association of Stu
dents of the University of Nebraska,
said a similar committee was at
tempted a few years ago. But that
committee didn’t mention much
about snowball fights or Greek/resi
dence hall relationships, he said. It
was concerned more with the Daily
Nebraskan “slamming the Greeks,”
he said.
This committee proposed that the
two affiliations work on projects to
gether such as Homecoming or other
social functions.
Russ Johnson, president of the
Residence Hall Association, said one
problem is the “lack of opportunity to
get to know each other.”
Bart Vitek, representative of the
Abel/Sandoz Residence Association,
suggested the two groups “work to
ward a common cause like more state
aid.”
John Smith, Interfratcmity Coun
cil president, said the new committee
has to be “very careful and realistic,
because a hasty project may fail.”
Griesen said freshmen need lo get
more involved.
“RH A should tap into the freshmen
who they think would make good
senators he said.
Members of the new committee
include representatives of AS UN.
RHA, IFC, Panhellcnic and ASRA.
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