Clinton Truman Duffy
Clinton Truman Duffy (1898–1982) was the warden of San Quentin State Prison between 1940 and 1952.[1] He was a prominent opponent of capital punishment.[1]
Life
[edit | edit source]His father was a guard at San Quentin, he was raised on the prison grounds, and his wife's father was also a San Quentin guard.[1]
The 1954 film Duffy of San Quentin tells his story as a warden.[citation needed][2] His accomplishments during his tenure as warden include:[1][3]
- Elimination of corporal punishment
- Improvement of food services
- Establishment of vocational training
- Founding of an Alcoholics Anonymous program
- Desegregation of the dining hall
- Creation of the first prisoner-developed radio programs inside a prison
- Inauguration of a prison newspaper
He was known to walk unarmed among the prisoners and to chat with them.[1][3] Although he "supervised 90 executions during his tenure as warden", he opposed capital punishment[1] and believed that murderers were more likely to rehabilitate than other criminals.[4]
After he left San Quentin, he worked for the state's parole board; in addition, he wrote books and gave lectures about capital punishment.[1] He died in Walnut Creek, California, at the age of 84.[1]
Works
[edit | edit source]- Duffy, Clinton T., and Dean Southern Jennings. The San Quentin Story. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1950.
- Duffy, Clinton T. 88 Men and 2 Women. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962.
- Duffy, Clinton T., and Al Hirshberg. Sex and Crime. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1965.
- Duffy, Clinton T., and Eva Irene Linkletter. From Heroin to San Quentin. Morro Bay, CA: Java Books, 1977.
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d e f g h Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- A biography by William J. Duffy, Jr., a brother
- A biography by Charles B. White, a lifelong friend
- Speech delivered by Clinton T. Duffy to the Comstock Club of Sacramento, California
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
 | This biography article about law enforcement in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |