Editorial

• Published date: 01 October 1989
• DOI: 10.1177/003288558906900202
• Date: 01 October 1989
• Author: William G. Babcock
• Subject Matter: Articles

Editorial
This is the second issue of The Prison Journal on the subject of prison sexuality,
which immediately followed an earlier issue on sex offenses. In an effort to write a third
editorial on the subject of sex in the criminal justice system, I quickly came to the
conclusion that I already had exhausted my knowledge of the subject.
Inasmuch as this will be my
final opportunity to write an editorial for The Journal,
however, I could not simply allow the opportunity to pass. It seems appropriate, instead,
to say something about my experience with The Jour~ al during the last four-plus years.
The fact that the Prison Society publishes a national journal on corrections issues
was a very attractive aspect of the agency when deciding to apply for the position of
executive director. It indicates a national presence which is not enjoyed by many
nonprofit organizations.
Upon my arrival at the agency, I began the work of moving the Prison Society
toward a more active advocacy role in Pennsylvania, rather than just client service. In so
doing, I sought the advice of many people and, ironically, one of the first pieces of advice
that I received was that, as an agency advocating for change in Pennsylvania, a national
journal is extraneous.
It was suggested, therefore, that The Journal either be eliminated or transferred
into a publication directed exclusively at Pennsylvania. The fact that this advice was
coming from a staff person at a major national foundation made it well worth my
attention, especially when I learned how much staff time goes into producing two annual
issues.
New executive directors are said to have a certain &dquo;honeymoon&dquo; period during
which they are able to get whatever they request from their boards. My honeymoon came
to an abrupt halt when it was suggested that it...