Name Clinton Duffy | Books The San Quentin story | |
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Died 1982, Walnut Creek, California, United States | ||
Clinton Truman Duffy (1898 – 1982) was the warden of San Quentin State Prison between 1940 and 1952. He was a prominent opponent of capital punishment.
Contents
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.
The 1954 film Duffy of San Quentin tells his story as a warden. His accomplishments during his tenure as warden include:
He was known to walk unarmed among the prisoners and to chat with them. Although he "supervised 90 executions during his tenure as warden," he opposed capital punishment.
After he left San Quentin, he worked for the state's parole board; in addition, he wrote books and gave lectures about capital punishment. He died in Walnut Creek, California at the age of 84.