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Life & Times Transcript
12/05/05 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- Inmates who grow old behind bars and stay healthy on the taxpayers' dollars. Myrtle Green>> I've had ten operations, three heart attacks, one stroke and I'm hard of hearing. Val Zavala>> And then, he wrote some of the most memorable sci-fi stories of all time. We talk with the master of horror, Richard Matheson. These stories and more next on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sam Louie>> With tougher sentencing laws in California, there are now more inmates in prison than ever before. Consequently, the number of older inmates has also spiked and so has the cost of providing them with medical care behind bars. Myrtle Green>> I asked my doctor why I had to take so many pills and she said, "You want to stay alive, don't you?" Sam Louie>> Myrtle Green is seventy-four years old. Her health has deteriorated rapidly during her sixteen year stay in prison. Myrtle Green>> I've had ten operations, three heart attacks, one stroke and I'm hard of hearing. Sam Louie>> Green was sentenced to twenty-five years to life for conspiracy to commit murder in 1989. She denies the charges saying she was set up by her daughter's ex-boyfriend. Myrtle Green>> It is the matter of my daughter's ex-boyfriend in naming me as the one who asked him to kill someone instead of him telling the truth that it was his dope dealer that asked him to kill someone. Sam Louie>> Green also feels that, given her age and condition, there is no reason why she should have to serve out her entire sentence in prison. Myrtle Green>> Can you tell me what threat to public safety a seventy-four year old, medically disabled person who could barely run -- I have difficulties getting down here when they say get down -- I fail to see what threat I would be to society. If they feel that I am a threat to society, take me out of the prison system, put me in a halfway house, put an ankle bracelet on me, check every move I make and save themselves millions of dollars. Sam Louie>> Norma Jean Jackson agrees. She's spent thirty of her seventy-five years at the California Institution for Women after she was convicted of murder. Norma Jean Jackson>> I remember picking up the scalpel to shut her up. She had said she was having a relationship with the man that I was living with and I killed her. I completely blacked out and killed her. Sam Louie>> Jackson's sentence is seven years to life, but her life has turned into watching the years go by and the hard time is taking its toll. Jackson looks healthy, but she shows me more than ten different prescription drugs she must take every day. [Film Clip] Sam Louie>> The state spends an average of ninety thousand dollars a year to incarcerate an older inmate. Costs are even higher for those with significant health problems like Myrtle Green. Myrtle Green>> They spent over two million, five hundred thousand dollars in medical care for me alone. [Film Clip] Sam Louie>> As the Chief Deputy Warden at the California Institution for Women, Dodie Barnes is all too familiar with the challenges of housing older inmates. Dodie Barnes>> The warden has attempted to provide them with extra accommodations like the double mattresses, two blankets, two pillows, lower bunks because as they age, they're not able to get obviously on the top bunk. Sam Louie>> And there are other factors that contribute to the higher cost of older inmates, like special meals geared to their diets and added costs for transportation and security if an inmate is hospitalized. Dodie Barnes>> If they go out on an emergency situation or they go out for a period of time, it's required that we have two correctional officers assigned to that unit for basic supervision because they are felons. Sam Louie>> Ever since California's Three Strikes law took effect in 1994, the number of inmates over fifty years old has nearly tripled. As a result, some critics feel California's correctional facilities are quickly turning into nursing homes for prisoners. In 1994, the number of older inmates in the state hovered at around five thousand. Now it has mushroomed to more than sixteen thousand, becoming the fastest growing population within the prison system. Gloria Romero>> To date, in 2005, we are already at where they predicted five years ago we would be in the year 2020. We're there now. This tells me that the numbers are coming at us faster than even our own corrections officials predicted, so it's a state of crisis. Sam Louie>> State Senator Gloria Romero chairs a prison oversight committee on the California legislature. She says the current $7.4 billion dollar budget for the state's prison system continues to grow with no end in sight. Gloria Romero>> In a sense, the corrections budget is almost like this black hole and it's sucking in more and more of our taxpayer dollars, but we're not getting the results that we should get in running a successful program. Sam Louie>> As a result, she says other vital public services are being neglected such as transportation, education and health care. To cut costs, Romero favors early release for older inmates no longer considered a threat to society. Gloria Romero>> There are many inmates who I believe, and I think experts will tell us, having studied this in the field, that certainly by a certain age an inmate is less likely to rob us of our physical well-being and more likely to simply rob us of the fiscal necessity of keeping them there. Sam Louie>> In addition, Romero is also a champion of reforming the Three Strikes legislation by clarifying and changing the definition of the third strike. Gloria Romero>> What we're finding today is that about sixty percent of that third striker who's coming into the California Department of Corrections is coming in for a nonviolent third strike. And even more so exacerbating the problem is that over fifty percent of these three strikers coming in are over the age of fifty-five. Sam Louie>> But victim's rights advocates disagree. Lawanda Hawkins is with Crime Victims United of California. Lawanda Hawkins>> It's like victimizing the victims again and the family of the victims. To dare them, after the judge has sentenced them, to say someone else comes along and says, oh, well, you know what? He did good or because of his age, or anything, I think that he should be released out a little bit earlier than the time that the judge has already sentenced him for. No. How dare they? Sam Louie>> She also feels changing the Three Strikes law would send the wrong message to criminals. Lawanda Hawkins>> Going into somebody else's home? That is serious. Taking someone else's car? Those things are serious. They're just as serious as these other crimes. You have people trying to minimize them. They're not to be minimized. Sam Louie>> Even if nobody was hurt? Lawanda Hawkins>> Even if no one was hurt. That's a serious crime. You intimidated another human being. You made another human being -- oh, no. Sam Louie>> And while the debate rages, inmates like Norma Jean Jackson and Myrtle Green accept the likelihood of living out their lives in prison and society accepts the costs of supporting their long incarceration. I'm Sam Louie for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> Avian flu has plenty of people scared. The prescriptions for antiviral drugs are up seven hundred percent compared to last year, and yet they're not particularly effective against avian flu. So where do we stand? Hena Cuevas talked with Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Los Angeles County's Director of Public Health, about the chance of avian flu showing up here. Hena Cuevas>> We've heard it referred to as avian flu and also bird flu. Is it the same thing? And what is it? Dr. Jonathan Fielding>> What we're talking about is a flu that has affected primarily chickens and waterfowl predominantly in Asia, although now perhaps in Romania and Turkey. The concern is, could this turn into a human virus that's easily transmitted from person to person and, if so, what's the likelihood that that in fact could become a worldwide problem? We call that a pandemic, an epidemic that goes over the whole world. At this point, we don't have immunity to that type of flu, so that's why we're so concerned. The shots we've had in the past for other kinds of flu aren't going to help us with this kind. Right now, there have only been about a hundred seventeen people that have gotten it and almost all of them have been in very close contact with chickens that have been affected as dead or dying chickens. Fewer than five cases have been transmitted from person to person. Hena Cuevas>> Five cases of the flu being transmitted from other human beings doesn't sound like anything very serious, so why is the medical community so concerned? Dr. Jonathan Fielding>> We're concerned because there is the possibility this could mutate into a form that could easily be transmitted person to person. We're not sure it would. There are a lot of similarities between how this flu looks genetically and the flu that caused the 1918 epidemic that swept the world. But we're not sure how long it would take, whether it will go in that direction or not. We have to plan as if it will. The problem is, none of us have any immunity to that and thus far it's had a relatively high mortality rate. Hena Cuevas>> So this is basically a race against time, man versus the virus? Dr. Jonathan Fielding>> We don't know if it's a race against time. We have to act as if it's a race against time and with an important sense of urgency, but we're not sure that this is going to become a pandemic, that it's going to become a worldwide problem or what level of severity. We have to assume it will and, because we have to assume it will, we don't know when this might happen. Hena Cuevas>> How prepared is Los Angeles County? Dr. Jonathan Fielding>> We've been working on an avian flu plan for over a year. We have a plan. We continue to update it. We're going to have drills. This is not a Los Angeles County problem alone. There are limited ways to deal with this flu and the problems really are national and international. If we have a nationwide problem, we don't have enough antiviral medication and if -- these are a lot of ifs -- if it's a very serious disease, we're going to be disadvantaged as will a lot of other parts of the country. Hena Cuevas>> Considering California is the point of entry for a lot of people coming in from Asia, how much of a priority is this in the state? Dr. Jonathan Fielding>> We certainly are a major point of ingress from people coming from other places. Not only people immigrate, there's a lot of business and pleasure travel between Asia and California and other parts of the country where Los Angeles is the first point of debarkation. We're working very closely with the quarantine group, the Center for Disease Control quarantine group, at LAX. They control all the airports in this area. We are looking for any potential cases of this type of flu. We've worked with all the hospitals. They've been notified to let us know immediately if there is anybody who's recently traveled that has a pattern of disease consistent with this kind of flu. On the other hand, if this becomes a widely spread problem in Asia or other parts of the world, it's not easy to stop it at the borders because people can transmit this influenza before they get sick, at least the day before. It has a very short incubation period, so it's readily easily spread. So stopping it at the borders is a pretty tough job. Hena Cuevas>> How concerned are you that we are just about ready to start with the flu season? That people are going to start sniffling, sneezing, feeling bad and they're going to think that that's what it is and they're going to run to the hospital? Dr. Jonathan Fielding>> Well, what's important to know is that we've had no cases of this type of flu in the United States. That is not currently the issue. The issue currently is planning for that possibility and focusing on what we should do today, which is having everybody at high risk get immunized for the strains of flu which may be circulating this winter. That's very important. It's no different than any other year and those recommendations are still the same for those at high risk. So they really should get immunized and it's a good idea for anybody to get vaccinated against the kinds of flu that we expect to have. The other thing we don't focus enough on is respiratory hygiene. We don't wash our hands enough, we don't wash them well enough. We have to cover our cough, cover our sneeze and not go to work or send our kids to school if they have a respiratory problem so they don't share that problem with the rest of the class or the rest of their office mates. Hena Cuevas>> So the advice is basically the same one it's been for the regular flu. Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze. Dr. Jonathan Fielding>> The respiratory hygiene advice is exactly the same. We want to stop the spread of pathogens and, whether it's flu virus or any other kinds of virus which are more common in the winter, those kind of very simple straightforward, common sense, your-mom-told-you techniques are effective. Hena Cuevas>> So in a way, it is a challenge to send out the message, but at the same time not create panic. Dr. Jonathan Fielding>> That's absolutely right. We want to send out the message that it's important for those who are entrusted with public health protection to be really focused on that. It is a priority for us and is a serious concern. On the other hand, right now there's no reason that this should be top-of-mind issue for the residents of Los Angeles County or of California in general or in any other part of the country. At this point, there is not a virus that is causing a lot of person to person transmission. What's important for people to do is to kind of separate what we're doing as a public health agency in working with all the key partners and what they need to do as individuals, which is focus right now on this year's flu and try to minimize the effects of that if you're high-risk and, even not, getting an influenza vaccine and also using good respiratory etiquette. Hena Cuevas>> Dr. Jonathan Fielding, thank you very much. That was very helpful information. Dr. Jonathan Fielding>> My pleasure. Glad to be able to help. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> The man you're about to meet is an expert at sending shivers up your spine. He even scares Stephen King. He is Richard Matheson and he has a legendary career in science fiction and horror. He's also written some of the most memorable episodes of the "Twilight Zone" and now, as he approaches eighty, he's come out with a new book. Saul Gonzalez took the opportunity to talk with Matheson about his remarkable career. Saul Gonzalez>> Richard Matheson, thanks for joining us on Life and Times. Richard Matheson>> Thank you. Saul Gonzalez>> You've had a writing career now for well over fifty years, right? And much of it has dealt with -- you've written tales of the fantastic -- Richard Matheson>> -- sixty years. Saul Gonzalez>> Sixty years. Science fiction stories, horror stories, fantasies. What is it that attracts you to these genres? Richard Matheson>> Nothing attracts me to any one genre. I think genres are a pain in the neck. I don't really believe in them. I believe in telling stories in total realism into which you drop something that's offbeat. Saul Gonzalez>> I read that you believe that the most frightening stories are the stories that are told in a very realistic environment where you just add a smidgeon of fantasy or a touch of terror. Is that right? Richard Matheson>> Yes, that's why I think one of the best scare pictures ever made -- I don't know if that's the proper word for it -- is "Rosemary's Baby" which is so realistic and just gradually increases its fright factor. Saul Gonzalez>> As a writer, what's been the joy of fright, of writing frightening stories? Richard Matheson>> I don't know. I don't do it on purpose. You got me. I don't know why. Saul Gonzalez>> So you think you're a pretty amiable guy? Richard Matheson>> (Laughter) Yeah, yeah, I am. I don't know. There's these ideas that occur to me and, if they strike me as good ideas, I'll write it. Saul Gonzalez>> Think about what so many people know you from and that's your work on the "Twilight Zone". [Film Clip] Saul Gonzalez>> Generally speaking, what kind of experience was that like? Writing for that show at that time and working with Rod Serling? Richard Matheson>> Well, it was very enjoyable. We had no idea, of course, that it was going to last a thousand years. Saul Gonzalez>> That it was going to become such an icon. Richard Matheson>> Yeah. Charles Beaumont and I were the two who were brought in and tried and what we were doing was exactly what Rod was looking for and we were able to adapt our stories to the "Twilight Zone" the way Rod would tell a story. Saul Gonzalez>> And you joined a really special circle, really, a circle of just three men. There was yourself, another writer, Charles Beaumont, and Rod Serling being all of the writers, right? Richard Matheson>> When Rod won his Emmy, he said on television, "Come on over, boys. We'll slice it up like a turkey (laughter)." Saul Gonzalez>> And what did Mr. Serling expect of you? Why did he pick you out of the legions of writers out there? Richard Matheson>> Well, because I wrote the kind of stories he enjoyed and they were always very realistic. Saul Gonzalez>> And I would imagine, being a writer, that working on the "Twilight Zone" was especially a joy because he so respected the skill of a writer. Richard Matheson>> Yes. He did respect us and I have no recollection of one word being changed. Sometimes they would, after I would hand in the first draft, we would make a few passes at it and then he say, "Why don't we do this instead?" and then I rewrote it and that was it. Saul Gonzalez>> Let's talk about one other show, really an iconic episode of the "Twilight Zone". It's called "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with William Shatner. Summarize the plot, first of all. Richard Matheson>> Well, I was in an airplane and I looked outside and saw clouds and things like snow-covered mountains and I thought, "What if I saw a guy skiing out there?" That was a clever and interesting idea, but not "Twilight Zone" scary, so I had to change it to a gremlin. But interestingly enough, when they had this program on television, "The History of CBS", they naturally included "Twilight Zone" and that was the one that they showed footage from. [Film Clip] Saul Gonzalez>> Do you generally have a tale mapped out in your own head before you sit down to put it on paper? Richard Matheson>> When I was in college, I got in the habit of using file cards and I continued doing that. I would write ideas, plot ideas, some dialog, some concepts, nothing in proper order, so I had a big pile of cards. Then I would start putting them up on a corkboard trying to put them in the order I would want to use them. Saul Gonzalez>> How many stories do you think you still have in your head now? Richard Matheson>> Oh, an infinite number. I used to tell people that I have enough for three lifetimes. That was true at that time. But now, I'm not interested in it. The ideas are still there and maybe they'd be saleable, but I don't find them interesting. Saul Gonzalez>> I know you reject the genre label. You said that when you first started talking. But when you look out and you survey young writers writing tales of the supernatural or fantasy or science fiction, are you pleased by what you see and by what you read? Richard Matheson>> I don't read that much and I certainly don't see any of the movies that are made. Once in a while, a good one will show up without them noticing and I'll watch that, but I don't have any overwhelming interest. Saul Gonzalez>> You're not a consumer of this literature anymore? Richard Matheson>> No. Some of my older friends my age are still writing stuff, but they have more trouble now. Saul Gonzalez>> Mr. Matheson, I just want to thank you for more than fifty years of words and stories and tales, tales that have scared the heck out of me certainly when I've read them. Richard Matheson>> You're welcome. Saul Gonzalez>> And thank you for sitting here and talking with me. Richard Matheson>> It's been my pleasure. Val Zavala>> The Los Angeles Zoo has gone through a major renovation. It's got a grand new entrance and a lot of new animal exhibits. One of the most popular are the sea lions. But have you ever wondered what it takes to take care of sea lions? The key is in the training. Tammie Allante>> My name is Tammie Allante. I'm one of the five keepers that takes care of the sea lions. It's wonderful working with these animals. I've been with these animals for about two years. We test our chemistry. It's really important to make sure that the water is right for the animals, the right temperature, the right salt. We want to keep it as natural as we can. Our sea lions actually get fed and trained three times a day. Our seals get fed and trained two times a day. Our otters get four feedings a day. So after our cleaning, we're feeding pretty crazy around here, feeding everybody. [Film Clip] Tammie Allante>> Rocky and Bea are the parents of Mona. Mona was born here at the Los Angeles Zoo. She's about fifteen years now. She is our darker, smaller size female. She just popped her head up. Bea is our oldest female here. She can be a little grouchy sometimes, so we try and make sure that we give her a lot of respect. You know, we give these guys a lot of attention. You just make sure that we keep everything really positive here for the animals. If they're willing to work with us, then we can go ahead and give them the best care we can. [Film Clip] Tammie Allante>> There are a couple of different things that we kind of focus on. One is behavioral enrichment. We want to make sure that they're being stimulated mentally, that they have things to do. [Film Clip] Tammie Allante>> They're out in the ocean, they love to eat fish. Fish is what they catch, so we do feed them a variety of fish here. Rocky, our male, weighs about two hundred fifteen kilograms, which is around five hundred pounds. Currently, he is getting about twenty-four pounds of fish a day. [Film Clip] Tammie Allante>> We've got windows and we've got a lowered area where the public can really come up and view what's happening with the animals. [Film Clip] Tammie Allante>> What's great when the kids come here to the zoo down in the depths of this exhibit is they get to see the animals, see how they are, and it makes them realize that there are animals out there and this is what happens, and it makes them curious. What can I do to keep these animals around? What can I do to make their life better? We get to be in there with them, checking them out, doing medical behaviors, doing fun behaviors, and really interacting and being part of their lives because we love to be here and we love what we do. [Film Clip] Val Zavala>> And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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