Word: whitleys
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...Whitley also proved an ally on the issue of greatest concern to lifers: parole eligibility. Inmates are lobbying Baton Rouge for laws that would grant lifers the opportunity for a supervised release, a practice common in most states. "Others saw us as subversive," says Norris Henderson, who heads the inmate effort. "This warden agrees with the things we're doing." Whitley maintains that his interest is practical. Currently two-thirds of Angola's inmates are serving life terms; in another 15 years, the prison will be filled with people who can never leave. "Put someone in prison for life with...
...state that has taken the lead in tough sentencing laws and boasts the country's highest incarceration rate. "I don't think if you killed somebody you have the right to be back out in society," says Margot Blalock of the Baton Rouge-based Parents of Murdered Children. Whitley's response is neither indifferent nor apologetic. "I understand how families of victims feel. But I can't run my prison with all those negative feelings toward inmates...
Still, the security staff doesn't feel Whitley favors or coddles prisoners. "With him you'll get the closest thing to a fair shake," says Michael Gunnells, the assistant warden in charge of security. A year ago, for instance, at Camp J -- home to Angola's incorrigibles -- staff morale had bottomed out in a storm of hurled food, spit and excrement. Whitley responded with a strict set of disincentives. Curse a guard, forfeit canteen privileges. Throw a meal tray, lose your radio. "The burden is on prisoners," says Captain Davy Kelone. "It drives them crazy." That it does. Camp...
Beyond routine complaints about disciplinary penalties, it is hard to find a Whitley detractor. Inmates, of course, may tell a stranger what they think The Man wants to hear. But they have no reason to lie to Keith Nordyke, the attorney appointed by a federal judge to look out for the interests of the state's 20,795 prisoners. Over the past year, Nordyke says, inmate complaint mail has dwindled from 50 letters a month to fewer than 10. At this point, even he is impressed by Whitley. "His attitude is, 'If you see anything wrong, let me know about...
Surprisingly, Whitley's progressive approach has stirred no ripples in Baton Rouge. "We always say about Angola that if it's not in the press for something bad, things must be going pretty well," says Ralph Miller, former chairman of the state house's criminal-justice committee. Still, admirers want < it known that Whitley is no liberal. "In this state, that's like being accused of being a child molester," says District Court Judge Robert Downing...