Voices from a Southern Prison

Appendix A: Methodology

Appendix A: Methodology This book uses three primary sources of evidence for case-study research: (1) interviews, (2) direct observations, and (3) court records and other legal documents. Sources consisted of both qualitative and quantitative evidence. The interviews were conducted with the key inmate-plaintiffs and the key decision makers and participants in the Thompson litigation. The author’s participation as attorney for the inmate class permitted identification of those inmates who played key roles in the Thompson litigation and of the other key participants, such as the judge, attorneys for the state, prison officials, and the newspaper reporter who provided primary news coverage. Subject areas for the interviews were established prior to conducting the interviews, including the interviewee’s personal history prior to the litigation, observations of the prison conditions, participation in the litigation, negotiation and implementation of the consent decree , and life history subsequent to the lawsuit. The interviews were conducted in an open-ended conversational manner to achieve a free, spontaneous flow of information. Three inmates and ten other key participants in the Thompson lawsuit were 245 selected and interviewed by this method. The interviews with all three inmates and five of the other participants were recorded on tape, with their permission. The untaped interviews were also conducted with the subjects’ permission, and the author kept detailed notes of each such interview. The interviewees gave permission for their names and the interviews to be used in this book. The direct observations encompassed this author’s many visits to KSR as lead attorney for the inmate class. Most important among these visits were tours of the entire prison provided by prison officials, investigations of particular areas of the prison while accompanying expert witnesses, tours of the prison on inspection visits by the judge, and discussions with many inmates in their dormitories to gather evidence in the case and, after the negotiations, to explain the settlement to the inmates. Direct observations also included meetings with the Plaintiffs’ Committee at KSR, personal participation in conferences in the judge’schambers, negotiations with state and Justice Department attorneys, and hearings in the judge’s courtroom as well as attendance at oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court. These direct observations are listed in appendix B, including dates, where possible. The legal records consisted of court records in the Thompson case, transcripts of hearings, and the author’s records of participation. All of these documentswere available because of the author’s role as attorney for the plaintiff class. Appendix C contains these records. 246 Appendix A ...