Warden Ragen of Joliet

252 Pages·199.308 MB·English

by  Gladys A. Erickson

WARDEN RAGEN
OF JOLIET

WARDEN RAGEN
OF JOLIET
BY
Gladys A. Erickson
Jr
With an Introduction by JosepH E. RAGEN
and
A Foreword by HARRY REUTLINGER
ES T1852
E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY, INC.
NEW YORK, 1957
Copyright, ©, 1957 by E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.
All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S. A.
PIRST EDITION
q§ No part of this book may be reproduced
in any form without permission in writing
from the publisher, except by a reviewer
who wishes to quote brief passages in con-
nection with a review written for inclusion
in magazine or mewspaper or broadcasts.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: §7-533I
To
Private CARL RicaArRD ERICKSON
United States Army
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword by Harry Reutlinger
13
Introduction by Joseph E. Ragen
17
PART ONE — The Five-Hundred-Day Headache
19
CHAPTER 1 — The Twin Prisons
21
CHAPTER 2 — The Governor’s Phone Call
28
CHAPTER 3 — The Country Club
41
CHAPTER 4 — Where To Begin?
50
CHAPTER 5 — The Midget
CHAPTER 6 — The Volcano Blows
73
CHAPTER 7 — The Story of the Prison
88
cHAPTER 8 — Edward Wheeler’s Picture
102
cHAPTER 9 — The Case of the Poisoned Coffee
112
CHAPTER 10 — Bernard Roa—Fugitive
122
CHAPTER 11 — Isolation and Segregation
128
CHAPTER 12 — The Beast of Stateville
139
cHAPTER 13 — Warden Ragen Meets Political Pressure
150
CHAPTER 14 — Roger Touhy’s Story
155
CHAPTER 15 — Roger Touhy Goes Over the Wall
163
PART TWO — The Warden and the Prison Today
173
CHAPTER 16 — A Prison Tour
173
cHAPTER 17 — The View From Behind Bars
189
cHAPTER 18 — Stateville’s Sky Pilots 196
CHAPTER 19 — Medicine in Prison 204
CHAPTER 20 — Family Life in Prison 212
CHAPTER 21 — This Man Ragen 231
247
Author’s Acknowledgments — Gladys Erickson
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INTRODUCTION
WHEN a writer says, “I'm going to write a book about you,” the
victim can’t help feeling a little apprehensive, for he knows his
soul is going to be searched, his character probed and every act
of his life examined and evaluated. It’s like facing Judgment
Day before one’s turn has come. And while the subject of such
a probe can assure himself that he has tried his best through the
years, he can’t help wondering what impression the final manu-
script will carry. And he can’t help hoping that the good will
outweigh the bad, at least by a little.
The warden of a prison occupies a hot spot that 1s always open
to criticism. 1 here are dozens of theories among penologists as
to how a prison should be run, and every citizen has his own
feelings on the matter. Those who agree with the way the
warden administers his institution praise him; the rest have harsh
words, the degree of harshness depending on how far from the
critic’s own theories the warden’s happen to be.
To me, the law always has been very specific as to what the
warden’s job 1s. He 1s given a prisoner and told to keep him in
confinement for the number of years and months specified in
the sentence passed by the judge. Thus, according to the law,
the security of his prison should be the warden’s first considera-
tion. Because he 1s dealing with human beings, his administration
must be humane and tempered by justice, but he can never
lose sight of the prime duty laid upon him.
But at the same time, a warden must remember that more
than 95 percent of the men confined in his prison will return to
society some day. It thus becomes his additional duty to do
everything in his power to prepare them to be better citizens.
Some who are released back to society will return to crime
in spite of everything we can do for them. Often, when we see
13
INTRODUCTION
14
a man going out the gate, we know he hasn’t been changed. But
when his sentence has been served in full, there 1s no way we
can hold him.
Others who come to a prison will profit by their stay. They
will re-educate themselves and will become good citizens after
release. One thing is certain—only a few of us who are in penolo-
gy seem to hear of the men who make good, in spite of the fact
that there are a lot of them. But everyone hears of the failures—
and becomes convinced that little good is done in a prison.
My greatest hope is that because of this book, citizens all over
the county will learn about what goes on behind these great
walls and thus gain a greater understanding of the problems
facing those of us involved in penology. Such an understanding
would go a long way toward making our task easier and more
rewarding.
Another hope I have is that readers of this book will be en-
couraged to help fight crime at its source. We must all help the
children of today, who may be the criminals of tomorrow unless
all members of society take an interest in them. We must guide
them through those dangerous years by providing better home
environments and supervision, as well as religious, academic
and vocational training and proper supervision during their
leisure hours.
Long experience with convicts has taught me that proper
discipline in the home and in the school are important. A lack
of discipline has permitted more than one boy to start on a
career of crime. The decisions of children, due to their im-
maturity, are not always wise, but with proper guidance, they
can choose the road to good citizenship. They should be taught
the value of money, the importance of proper behavior and to
respect the rights and property of others.
There is no one person who can successfully operate an
institution alone. Any success we have had in making Joliet-
Stateville a better prison should be attributed not to one but to
a number of persons.
Had it not been for the complete cooperation and encourage-