Court monitor says prisoners in segregation denied recreation HOUSTON CHRONICLE •Y BILL NI:11%7z NOV 1 8 1981 hroniele Staff A federal court monitor says Texas Department of Correc- ons inmates are kept in administrative segregation — away -om other prisoners — without exercise time for as long as 2la. oars. The wide-ranging prison reform order entered last December y U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice called for regular itdoor exercise and at least one hour a day for physical -,vreation for inmates in administrative segregation, said Wil- am G. Babcock, a monitor appointed by Judge Justice. Babcock is one of the people assigned by the judge to work ith Vincent M. Nathen, the Toledo, Ohio, attorney appointed by udge Justice to oversee the prison reform order. Justice ordered sweeping changes after a 1979 trial that con- 'tided overcrowding and other practices by the corrections epartment violated inmates' constitutional rights. In a report filed Tuesday in federal court here, Babcock said .ree units — Darrington, Ramsey 1 and Retrieve — kept .mates away from the general prison population for extended ?nods without providing recreational facilities outside the cell. Texas Department of Corrections spokesman Rick Hartley lid prison officials had not received a copy of the report and ould not comment. Ile said the department will file a response ith Judge Justice. He said, however, that it is "doing every- wig within our power to comply with the judge's order." Babcock said implementation of the section of the prison 2form order dealing with recreation time for the segregated risoners has been left to the officials at each of 19 corrections epartment units. He said some units provide for time outside the cell and some outdoor recreation but others do not. Administrative segregation is not considered as solitary con- finement, which is used for periods after an inmate is found guilty of violations of corrections department rules. Prisoners are held in administrative segregation for investi- gation of infractions, refusal to work — also called permanent lock-down, or security purposes. Babcock gave these examples of prison conditions: • At the Ellis Unit, which houses death-row inmates, repeat offenders and inmates with high risk of escape, most inmates in administrative segregation have access to outdoor recreation. However, Babcock said, corrections officials reported many inmates who must serve at least 20 years and do not receive good time credits would rather spend their time in segregation than in prison jobs. He said he received reports of 12 Ellis Unit inmates who had . _ been in administrative segregation for periods of four months to two years without recreation time outside the cell. • At the Darrington Unit, two unidentified inmates were inad- vertently released from their segregated cells at the same time for a shower. The two inmates, who had been away from the general population for more than 100 days each, then climbed a wall of barred windows from the first to the third floor and remained on the windows for almost 10 hours, insisting to speak with Nathen. Babcock said neither inmate had daily recreation and both said they climbed the window as "a way to blow off steam or built-up tension." • At the Retrieve Unit, 12 inmates reported they had been deprived of recreation time for periods of four months to 2‘a years. The judge's reform order does allow corrections officials to keep prisoners in administrative segregation without exercise for security reasons. Elements to make stop in city AMARILLO DAILY NEWS NOV 16 1981 From Staff and Wire Reports Gov. Bill Clements is expected to formally announce his reelection plans in Austin today, then undertake a 14-city barnstorming tour which will bring him to Amarillo tomor- row. The Dallas Republican has vowed to spend "whatever is aecessary to win a second term as the state's chief execu- ti..-e. in 1978. Clements spent about $7 million in his bid to become the state's first Republican governor in more than IN years Ciements is expected to make his Amarillo campaign .top tomorrow morning. An 11:15 a.m press conference is -cheduled at the Amarillo International Airport. The governor's formal announcement is slated at 9 a.m. :0(lav in Austin. Other campaign stops today include San di Imo. 11 a.m.: Houston, 1:30 p.m : and Dallas at 4 p.m. "romorrow's itinerary opens with a stop in Fort Worth. Hie governor's party then will travel to Amarillo. Lubbock, Paso and Odessa. Wednesday's schedule calls for cam- , ents has denied the report, he has not disclosed how much he will spend on his campaign. "I don't have a number in mind," Clements said. "I will spend whatever is necessary to be in a competitive race." The only announced Democratic candidate, Sen. Peyton McKnight, D-Tyler, has said he can raise as much as $5 million in his bid to unseat Clements. McKnight already has leveled criticism at Clements, which the governor answered at a news conference Friday. Although he did not specifically name McKnight, Clements said he should not be criticized for refusing to give testimo- ny in a federal lawsuit regarding congressional redistrict- ing. "We all feel this is a precedent we must not allow to be established," Clements said. He said the governor, as chief executive, is named in many lawsuits and if he gave testimony in one, he would have to submit to giving a deposition in every single case. "Every two-bit lawyer in the state of Texas would be askin , for