Clinton Duffy

For the scientist, see Clinton Duffy (scientist).

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

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.^[2][3] His accomplishments during his tenure as warden include^[1][4]:

• 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][4] Although he "supervised 90 executions during his tenure as warden," he opposed capital punishment.^[1]

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

• 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

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Blake, Gene (1982-10-14). "Famed warden Duffy of San Quentin dead at 84". Los Angeles Times. 
2. ^ Duffy of San Quentin (1954) at the Internet Movie Database
3. ^ Crowther, Bosley. "Duffy of San Quentin (1954)". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/90123/Duffy-of-San-Quentin/overview. Retrieved 2009-01-11. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Mister San Quentin". Time Magazine. 1952-01-07. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,815769,00.html. Retrieved 2009-01-12. 

External links

• A biography by William J. Duffy, Jr., a brother
• A biography by Charles B. White, a lifelong friend

Persondata
Name	Duffy
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1898
Place of birth
Date of death	1982
Place of death