Ex-Convicts Tell of Life in Prisons in CCC-West Visit

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By Deena Mirow

Bruce, Nickels, Earl Wheeler and Paul Hornbrook looked so much like the students at Cuyahoga Community College's Western Campus, some students found it hard to believe they

were ex-convicts.

However, once they started telling of prison lifesmuggled drugs freely available, homosexual attacks, constant paranoia, racism, undertrained guards the differences became apparent.

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The trhee are members of Barbedre Theater, a traveling company of exconvicts that visits campuses presenting plays and holding discussions about prison life

Nickels, 28, served a year for draft evasion; Wheeler, 35, served almost 10 years for armed robbery, and Hornbrook, 22, served 18 months for drug possession.

people what is happening in "We just want to inform this country's prison system," Nickels said. "We have a play called "The Cage' and this one-day discussion program called 'Prison Close-Up'."

The men spent the day meeting with classes, holding an open question and answer session and talking with students.

"Hopefully, we can stimulate a few of these students to take the ideas we have talked about a step fur-

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS

Paul Hornbrook, from

left, Bruce Nickels and Earl Wheeler discuss their Plain Dealer Photo (James A. Hatch) prison experiences.

ther," said Hornbrook. "If we only reach one or two of them today it will be a success. Most will have forgotten what we said by next week."

The message was that America's prison system

does not work. It simply behavior reinforces past

and teaches new crime. "You can't stop a problem by throwing a man in jail and forgetting about him," said Hornbrook.

"The prison system is the end of the problem. You have to ask yourself what makes a guy stick up a store owner for $70.

"We have to figure out ways to get a guy a job, get him respect so he feels like someone and doesn't have to resort to $70 stickups.”