POINT OF VIEW: INMATE'S DEATH RAISES QUESTIONS

As chairwoman of the Social Justice Committee at First Unitarian
Church in Oklahoma City, I was appalled to learn about the death of an
inmate at a boot camp drug program in Alva run by the Oklahoma
Department of Corrections. That this would be allowed to happen in a
civilized country is an indication of how regressive our state prison
system continues to be.

"Cause undetermined in boot camp death" (news story, July 15) states
that Robert Liddell died after being required to physically exert
himself outside in the heat for 30 minutes on his first day at the
boot camp. The temperature in that part of the state was over 100.

Liddell, a nonviolent drug user, essentially was given a death
sentence for driving while under the influence of drugs. Is this
justice? No one should be forced to rigorously exercise after months
of inactivity without first increasing strength and stamina.

According to public record, Liddell sat in prison for 11 months before
transferring to the boot camp. Nearly every summer the temperature in
Oklahoma gets over 100 degrees. Accordingly, prisoners must be allowed
time to become acclimated and given adequate water breaks. Liddell
isn't the only prisoner who has died in a DOC boot camp.

Participation at the boot camp is voluntary, but The Oklahoman's
article states that refusal to participate results in loss of good
behavior time credits. In other words, inmates will be in prison
longer if they refuse.

Clearly, the policies and procedures for the treatment of nonviolent
criminals must be changed and the prison system reformed. The rights
that the Constitution grants all people, even prisoners, must be
upheld. Why did the DOC wait nearly a week to announced this man's
death? How many people imprisoned for nonviolent crimes must die in
jail or prison before the people say, "Enough!"?

The Eighth Amendment states that no cruel or unusual punishment shall
be inflicted on people. Prisons must uphold the basic civil rights of
inmates just as any other state or U.S. government entity must uphold
the Constitution.

Murray lives in Oklahoma City.