Class with convicts concluded Perlstein. "If they'rt to work successfully in this fie thev're aoino to have to real12 , Id. e these 11th as. 'dl& D ~ O D I ~ are st111oeoile n gives students undersi ing hopes and fears " Su?cessfull completing this class at OSP I otve hts students a fresh, muc of criminal mind by Cliff Johnson r m 7 Geeded ners~ect~vaebout the demandina correct~onsfteld they are -, .. -, ,, .> . The same principle should I bue for future police offlcers e in the class. savs Perlsteln. FI ?old ,nrolled 3r I the examole, to caich offenders Ir first piace, he argues, poilce a going to have to understand h oflenders think ''Otherw~sa a ire OW II rtching people, wfich 8s the sttuaiion o really understandthe criminal's thoughts and '1' actions, you must resolve to meet h!m on hts own ground. challenge his bellefs and have yours challenged In return, and then hope to understand something from the encounters whlch ultimately could benefit soc~etyat large. It 1s a theory wh~chis controversial enough to preach, let alone practlca But selected majors In PSU's Adminlstratlon of Justlce program are dolng both during sprlng term. The students, many of whom will soon qraduate and become wiice contro llle beh nd oars A onqt me ODfener of the cnmlna jdstlce system as ootn a oracttoner ana eo.rator Pcr sleln already knew that most students In p&spective, glvlng him "expert wttness" stand~ngin most courtrooms In Pottland's tri-county metropolltan area This backgroundconvinced Perlstein that he should forae ahead the a 5c u nc not only do not come from t l e same sor 0-economc ur racsa oac<qro<.nusas many crmna s ol~nt ave never been prosecuted or convicted of any crime as well. Thls can put students at a dtsadvantageIn deallng successfully with convicts. Because of this diflerence, "they don't understand the offender," Perlsteln says flatly. "I belleve that by understandingthe offender, they will have more success In changtng hlm. One of the thlngs we can do as effect~vecounselors In thls held,' he cont~nues."is to help that Inmate to with the "classroom-in-prisonnn approach. If students, early In their careers, could begln to develop an understandingof 'where the Inmate is comlng from, ' they would know how to protect themselves against being manipulatedby smart convicts. In this way. Perlsteln hopes hls students won't have to flnd out "the hard way, as ail the rest of us who Started In the Reld did" about some convects abilities to frustrate the best efforts of concerned corrections workers. In meetlngface to face wlth inmates, Perlsteinsavs. "We're not officeis, parole and probation officials, and correcttons counselors. are anendlng classes on the crlminal iustice svstem as seen from the bffender s po~notf "few, be~ng conducted behlnd the walls at Gary Pesrlste want to change." "I see 11as a two-day street, developing a bener work~ng relatlonshlD. so to soeak. ~nsteadof America now faces. he notes. th~senemv concedt we have now." the request olbtudents who asked to he InSlStS.' rubbtng their (studenis') noses into learn f~rst-handhow offenders really These convictions sprlng from his the crlrne, we're rubbtngtheir noses vr-w the system and people who many years engaged in corrections into the oemn who committed 11," rewrled- Plainly Perlsteln IS trvlnq to find sornethlnq that w~lwl ork tdwaFd I leaves 1ch less stemm~ngthisflood-ttde whlct many culpr~tsunpun~shed,mu un-rehabliltated ~ a v l n gstudents attempt to flrst-hand knowiedge from sel crlmlnals IS nothing new, Peri: readily admits But what rs ne systemat~zlngof the learn~ng I by brlnglng PSU students lntc State prlson classroom senlng regular basls, compellingthen understand first-hand what incarcerattonfeels itke, and understandthe crim~nabl ener Moreover. the same senlna IS gatn ected stein w IS the process i the on a n to bener i nlce, 'h0 role ,nvlcfs' and Dollce off~ceksaflectrnd CI lives. A large measure of the crel: getting the class established t to nff~cialsof the state oen~ler lit for ~elongs Ittary. l CUDO lncludang Super~ntendentHoy and Education Manaqer Charies (stem In z ,---. Keaton. "We have a prison s) Oregon that's not as scared or (ewrl8 the public see what's happening as some other orison svstems are. and ledbyl5PSUAdl mbtion session. "-"" ,.-. "*z- ,. we've alwak had good relat~onsw~t them." says Perlstetn. Coord~natlng the new class on behalf of the inmates IS Larry Baker, a one-time COntlnued Some01the 150SP"inmatestudents." scheduledtokjolr nlnistratlonof Justicestudents tor special PSUIOSP class spring term, a n shown in penitentiary classroom orit Fromlento right at rear: Larry Baker (Rap); Roben MurohviMurder).Fromlento rishtintorearound:Frank Dab., ,..,.,., Kurt Reimer (A.D.W.): DuaneSamples(Murder);and shiki kamln (Burglary, ape)..
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