The Toughest Prison in America
Forget about rehabilitation at the federal penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. There is only one concern: incapacitating the worst of the worst criminals in the country. ... Christopher Boyce, Jack Henry Abbott, Irwin Margolies, Edwin Wilson, Beaumont Gereau, Joseph Franklin, Garrett Trapnell, Randy Gometz...
Among the many potential escapees at Marion, the one considered the most serious threat is an angular, 6 foot, black haired veteran criminal named Ronald Del Raine. "He's one of the most dangerous escape artists in captivity," says John Clark, executive assistant to Williford. "He's had a lengthy history of attempted escapes." At 54, Del Raine is serving 199 years for killing two policenen in a Chicago bank robbery and a additional ten years for his escape attempts. He is regarded as a locksmithing genius able to look at a key for only a moment and then duplicate it using plastic cups, toothbrushes and other simple materials available in his cell. "A year ago, we turned up copies of the big keys used in our security doors" Clark says. "They were perfect. They were made of plastic, but they would have worked." They had DeifRaine's trademark. But they were found in another prisoner's cell so we couldn't officially pin them on Del Raine. At other times, though, keys have been found in Del Raine's possession."
Ronnie Del Raine, his slender face wearing the expression of a man who knows something you don't know, is gently gripping the bars at the front of his cell. His hands seem as delicate as a surgeon's, and you can almost visualize then, deftly popping open a lock. When you ask Del Raine about his locksmithing skills he ponders for a moment. It is as if he would prefer to deny all, but there is, after all, a certain pride of craft. "Yeah," he mutters, "I know a little bit about keys and locks." "Well, are you trying to escape?" he is asked. "Hey, I'm doing 209 years," he says. "I'm supposed to try to escape." "Who says?" "Me.
