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| State KOs Prison Boxing Program |
| By The Eugene Register-Guard |
| Published: 05/07/2001 |
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The men, who have been carrying on a 33-year-old tradition in the maximum-security Oregon State Penitentiary, don't talk about much of anything during their twice-a-week workouts, except boxing. They seem to understand that the decision to end the program is final. Previously there had been two rings, but one was recently removed so it could be sold off as surplus state property. A prison employee in charge of boxing explains that the idea is to gradually phase out the program, so when it finally disappears for good next, it's not so sudden that it kicks off a backlash among inmates. The Oregon State Penitentiary was one of the few prisons in the country where inmates could continue to box. For most of the time since his 1990 arrival, inmates has written letters and articles and lobbied sympathetic corrections workers, defending the program against the contention made by some administrators that it has outlived its usefulness. Such efforts by inmates and frontline staff proved successful until last year. Joan Palmateer was preparing last year to end her stint as superintendent at the penitentiary to accept a similar post at another Oregon prison. That's when she concluded that boxing was no longer an appropriate activity for prisoners. Palmateer says the decision was based in part on the cost of staff necessary to supervise the twice-a-week workouts and the Saturday matches that take place about six times a year. The outgoing superintendent also decided that boxing did not contribute to what she calls a positive and productive environment the way other activities do. Yes, boxing releases stress. But inmates have alternatives, Palmateer reckons. |
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