A transcript of an ABC News 'Nightline' broadcast on prison conditions in the United States contains question to and comments by Chief Justice Warren Burger, three inmates, a spokesman for prison industries, and a labor union representative, who considers the impact of prison industries on the labor market.
Transcripts of news reports dealing with the 1971 riot at Attica Prison in New York, the 1980 riot at Idaho State Penitentiary, and with other prison riots are supplied. Chief Justice Warren Burger notes why citizens should care about prison conditions. He states that prisons should be decent, clean, and humane, and that prisoners should work at gainful occupations. In addition, he advocates vocational training and academic education for inmates. Two convicted murderers from the Louisiana State Prison at Angola, Bill Sinclair and Wilbert Rideau, state their views on how their prison should be changed. Sinclair notes that Angola has improved: in 1973 Angola was the most dangerous prison in the United States, while today it is the safest maximum security prison in the country. Between 85 and 90 percent of the inmates are said to be working. In addition, the prison has a vocational school which has graduated about 3,000 inmates since 1967. John Zalusky, an economist with the AFL-CIO, and Fred Braun, president of Zephyr Products, a metalworking business that employs inmates from Leavenworth Penitentiary, discuss problems that occur when private industry sets up plants in prisons. The reasons why the prison system in the United States differs so greatly from those of other nations with similar values are explored.