Clinton Truman Duffy

For the scientist, see Clinton A. J. Duffy.

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.^{[citation needed][2]} His accomplishments during his tenure as warden include:^[1][3]

• 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][3] Although he "supervised 90 executions during his tenure as warden", he opposed capital punishment^[1] and believed that murderers were more likely to rehabilitate than other criminals.^[4]

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.