Mark D. Devlin
Encyclopedia
Mark Dennis Devlin was the author of Stubborn Child (ISBN 0-6891-1476-1), a critically acclaimed memoir published in 1985. He died on March 10, 2005. The cause of death was not released but he had battled mental illness, alcoholism, and physical problems for many years. He was fifty-six years of age.
system as part of the process by which the schools were closed and the juvenile justice system reformed in Massachusetts
.
, the Roslindale juvenile detention center, and the Bridgewater, Massachusetts
reformatory
known as the Institute for Juvenile Guidance. According to his book, when Mark was seven years of age his mother brought him before an old man who wore black robes. Mark’s mother talked to the old man and then somebody brought him to a large building in Roslindale, Massachusetts, where somebody shoved him into a darkened room and locked the door. Mark started to cry for his mother. That was the start of Mark’s encounter with the Massachusetts juvenile corrections system. Once while an inmate of the Bridgewater reformatory Mark was able to look across a prison yard and see his father in the adult section. That was likely as close as they were until after the publication of his book, when he attempted to reconcile with members of his family.
. Mark Zanger, a columnist at the now-defunct, Cambridge, Massachusetts
alternative weekly, turned the letter into an article. It was about staying at Boston's Charles Street Jail
after it was condemned.
and in People
. Mark kept in touch with his publisher using public telephones and gave interviews from park benches. The movie rights were sold to director William Friedkin
for $10,000, but the film was never produced. Devlin was the first author to publish a book about the Lyman School for Boys
from the perspective of an inmate.
, although he had periods of stability. In the 1990s, after a suicide attempt, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
and responded well to medication and a sober lifestyle for parts of several years. He wrote an unpublished account of his breakdown
, and made several starts on a work of fiction about his father's life and their relationship. He maintained longstanding friendships despite his lifestyle and increasing physical and legal problems.
Stubborn Child
As a child, his alcoholic father frequently beat the Boston native. At seven years of age, Mark was deemed a "stubborn child," and locked up. Under state law, a stubborn child was one who "stubbornly refused to submit to the lawful and reasonable commands of a parent or guardian." Devlin spent most of his childhood in state institutions. He later told the press that growing up in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts juvenile justice system turned him into a criminal. Devlin testified to a state legislative committee about conditions in the reform schoolReform school
A reform school in the United States was a term used to define, often somewhat euphemistically, what was often essentially a penal institution for boys, generally teenagers.-History:...
system as part of the process by which the schools were closed and the juvenile justice system reformed in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Detained juvenile
Mark was a graduate of the Lyman School for BoysLyman School for Boys
The Lyman School for Boys was established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts about 1886 and was closed in 1971. It was the first reform school, or training school in the United States, replacing the State Reform School near the same site, which was opened in 1846...
, the Roslindale juvenile detention center, and the Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Bridgewater, Massachusetts
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Bridgewater, please see the article Bridgewater , Massachusetts.The Town of Bridgewater is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, 28 miles south of Boston. At the 2000 Census, the population was 25,185...
reformatory
Reformatory
Reformatory is a term that has had varied meanings within the penal system, depending on the jurisdiction and the era. It may refer to a youth detention center, or an adult correctional facility. The term is still in popular use for adult facilities throughout the United States, although most...
known as the Institute for Juvenile Guidance. According to his book, when Mark was seven years of age his mother brought him before an old man who wore black robes. Mark’s mother talked to the old man and then somebody brought him to a large building in Roslindale, Massachusetts, where somebody shoved him into a darkened room and locked the door. Mark started to cry for his mother. That was the start of Mark’s encounter with the Massachusetts juvenile corrections system. Once while an inmate of the Bridgewater reformatory Mark was able to look across a prison yard and see his father in the adult section. That was likely as close as they were until after the publication of his book, when he attempted to reconcile with members of his family.
Criminal
As a young adult, Mark fell in love with a former girlfriend of one of the few friends he met at the Bridgewater reformatory. They decided to move to a different state and start a new life together, but en route, Devlin was arrested for driving a stolen automobile across state lines. He spent a total of six years in a federal reformatory and then married his girlfriend while on parole. Their first child, a son, was placed up for adoption. Their second child, a daughter, was raised in several foster homes before being adopted by Mark's sister. The couple later divorced. Mark had a third child, a son, in a short relationship in later life. In a turbulent life, he accumulated a variety of legal charges, some likely valid, but was not a professional criminal; rather he lived precariously and most often as a saloon anecdotalist and singer.Road scholar
Long before the movie, and as a play on the words "Rhodes Scholar," this self-described "Road Scholar" decided to become a writer. While living on the streets, Mark's worldly possessions consisted of a bag filled with clothes, a dictionary, a thesaurus, pencils and a pad of paper. His first publishing success was a letter to the editor of The Real PaperThe Real Paper
The Real Paper was a Boston alternative weekly newspaper with a circulation of 50,000. It ran from August 2, 1972, to June 18, 1981, often devoting space to counterculture issues of the early 1970s. The offices were located on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts.The Cambridge Phoenix...
. Mark Zanger, a columnist at the now-defunct, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
alternative weekly, turned the letter into an article. It was about staying at Boston's Charles Street Jail
Charles Street Jail
The Charles Street Jail or "Suffolk County Jail" is a historic former jail located at 215 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts...
after it was condemned.
Author and celebrity
When Stubborn Child was published in 1985, it received national attention. Profiles appeared in the Boston Globe MagazineThe Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
and in People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
. Mark kept in touch with his publisher using public telephones and gave interviews from park benches. The movie rights were sold to director William Friedkin
William Friedkin
William Friedkin is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing The French Connection in 1971 and The Exorcist in 1973; for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director...
for $10,000, but the film was never produced. Devlin was the first author to publish a book about the Lyman School for Boys
Lyman School for Boys
The Lyman School for Boys was established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts about 1886 and was closed in 1971. It was the first reform school, or training school in the United States, replacing the State Reform School near the same site, which was opened in 1846...
from the perspective of an inmate.
Later life
For most of the next 30 years, Devlin was homelessHomelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, although he had periods of stability. In the 1990s, after a suicide attempt, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and responded well to medication and a sober lifestyle for parts of several years. He wrote an unpublished account of his breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
, and made several starts on a work of fiction about his father's life and their relationship. He maintained longstanding friendships despite his lifestyle and increasing physical and legal problems.