Warden Leo Glynn
Encyclopedia
Leo Glynn is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz
. He is the warden of the Oswald state correctional facility
CO) in Oz in the early 1960s and is a very old-fashioned, conservative
official. As described in the Journal of Augustus Hill
, Glynn's philosophy of running a prison is based more on retribution than redemption and rehabilitation. As stated in the journal, the reasoning behind this is so that Glynn can one day be promoted to the position of Commissioner of Prisons. The journal also states that Glynn wishes to do this in order to one day become the state's first African American Governor. He runs the entire prison answering mainly to Governor James Devlin
, a right-wing politician with whom even Glynn has policy disagreements. Throughout the series, Glynn is well respected by the staff and for the most part, treats the prisoners as justly as need be. Despite this, he has had moments which show another side of his personality. He can be petty and vindictive at times, notably refusing to move Andrew Schillinger due to dislike of Vern Schillinger and making Alvarez miss a meeting with his family out of a dislike of Latinos. Furthermore, he is often prone to take sides against those he works with. He fired and quickly rehired Sister Pete for protesting an execution. He was unwilling to defend McManus and Em City from Devlin as well as siding with black inmates on some issues. Glynn can also act on his disdain for prisoners on occasion like letting Alvarez starve and nearly commit suicide after he blinded a guard
When acts of violence occur in Oz, Glynn has a tendency to lead a harsh interrogation of the suspected inmates but is quick to file a crime as "unsolved" when there is not adequate enough evidence to convict someone. Glynn also tries to only make convictions on inmates that result in a major change of Oz's power structure. On violence between the inmates, Glynn is preventative when lives are at risk and quick to lock down and isolate specific inmates as a means of stopping a war. He never seems to favor one side of inmates in any war and is quick to inflict penalties upon the gang's leaders. When inmates misbehave in general, Glynn immediately orders the staff to place them in solitary as Glynn wants the inmates who cause the most trouble out of the general population for as long as he can keep them out. Solitary seems to be the most preferable punishment to Glynn as he is quick to send an inmate to Ad Seg when the prison rules have been somewhat violated. When obtaining inside information about acts of violence to occur in Oz, Glynn often cares less about the informants' motives in reporting it and uses the information to cause a lock down of the prison.
On the issue of prison rape
, Glynn is not quick to investigate acts of sexual abuse and violence for two main reasons. First Glynn realizes rape will occur in prison, and secondly, Glynn sees the positive administrative standpoint of rape inside prison in the "leveling effect" it has upon the rape victims. Glynn feels that inmates who are victims of it less likely to be a discipline problem as presented when inmate Peter Schibetta
, whom Glynn has a personal vendetta against, is raped on two different occasions. This attitude shocks Oz staff members such as Sister Peter Marie
who remind Leo that he should take a more compassionate view about rape following the rape of his daughter.
Amongst the inmates, Glynn is feared due to his toughened law and order based attitude. Glynn's preference for the isolation ward, week-long lock downs, and harsh interrogation style helps him empower this fear. Unlike Tim McManus
, he does not try to build a working relationship with the inmates to help them better themselves, rather he just cares that they are obedient of his command of the prison. Glynn seems to get along with the inmates who run the cafeteria as long as it is run in an efficient and respectable manner. In general though, Glynn treats the inmates as fairly as need be assuming they have not done anything to cross his path.
Amongst his staff, Glynn is well respected even by COs who have shown a dislike for Oz's minority inmates. When problems pertaining to COs and inmates arise, Glynn is quick to help his officers out whether it be keeping inmates who attack them in Solitary Confinement or preventing an investigation that could lead to the firing of one of his officers. This is mainly because Glynn feels that he and his staff must remain unified and see eye to eye as much as possible. Throughout the series, Glynn has disagreements with some of the higher ranking liberal staff members such as Tim McManus
, Sister Pete
, and Dr. Nathan but respects their vision and does what he can to meet them halfway on most issues. Overall, Glynn is focused on maintaining order amongst the inmates, stopping the drug trade, and convicting the inmates he can for crimes that they commit when sufficient evidence is present.
. When Alvarez claims to know who committed the rape, he tortures Leo with this knowledge who would have beat Miguel into submission had Father Mukada not been around. This starts the bad blood between Alvarez and Glynn. Leo's brother Mark also has economic issues in Season 2 and commits a murder for the mafia that Italian inmate Peter Schibetta uses for leverage. When Mark turns himself in, Leo remains on bad terms with Schibetta and refuses to lead a rigorous investigation when Peter gets raped on two different occasions. In season 4 during the election campaign, Glynn tells these details about his brother and daughter, a move that angers Mary leading up to a divorce in the second half of the season. While separated, the viewers assume that Glynn will begin a relationship with new secretary Floria Mills, but no specific details on the show confirm this. As far as other family members are concerned, CO Clayton Hughes
is the son of Leo's best friend, deceased CO Samuel and Leo becomes the closest thing Hughes has to a father. When Hughes goes crazy and goes to prison at Lardener, Glynn demands that he be transferred to Oz where he can be protected but Hughes goes even crazier trying to murder Leo while Glynn attempts to talk some sense into him. Hughes' erratic behavior drives Glynn to an alcoholic state where he is seen drinking whiskey on the job during two instances in Season 4. When Tim McManus' ex-wife Eleanor O'Connor comes to Oz, she and Leo begin a relationship that is revealed only a few scenes before Leo's death.
Warden". Glynn states to Clayton Hughes
, whom he views as a son, that he feels no sense of brotherhood towards any of the Black inmates in Oz as he only feels a sense of brotherhood towards Blacks who obey the law. Glynn is also politically conservative so he often does not feel the same way that most other Blacks do when it comes to various state issues (In season 4, it is stated that Governor Devlin's office has a bad relationship with the state's black community). Glynn also points out in Season 3 that he began working as a CO in Oz in the late 1960s, suggesting that he could very well be Oz's first black correctional officer.
In season 1, Glynn initially attempts to get black inmate Kareem Said
to cool his rhetoric about the prison system by telling him "Don't fuck with me, my brother" as a means of telling him as one Black man to another not to cause any racial uprisings within Oz. In season 4, Glynn is asked to run as Devlin's Lieutenant Governor mainly because Alvah Case, a well-respected African American law school dean is the Democratic candidate for governor. Glynn agrees because he is as conservative as Devlin on most every issue. At this point Glynn is also pressured to fire Tim McManus but does not do so until McManus commits a series of self-destructive and idiotic acts closed out by the singing of "De Camptown Races
", a blackface
minstrel song at the funeral of a Black CO. During the campaign, Glynn also is pressured by fellow black community activists to replace McManus with a black Unit Manager. He does, but eventually McManus and inmate Kareem Said
show evidence of corruption in Emerald City, which ends up getting McManus his job back.
Glynn's ethnicity is brought up once again in Season 6 when an associate of Governor Devlin, City Mayor Wilson Loewen
, is found guilty of aiding and abetting members of the White supremacist organization the Ku Klux Klan
in a 1963 murder of two young African American
girls. A race riot
breaks out in the city's African American neighborhoods and Glynn prevents one from breaking out in Oz immediately locking down the prison upon the news airing of the trial. When Loewen is sent to Oz, Glynn is forced by Devlin to place him in a safe housing unit with no African American inmates as a means of keeping Loewen alive until Devlin can eventually pardon him. Loewen arrives in Oz attempting to bring up good memories between him and Leo during the governor campaign but Glynn disgusted by his crime states that their past relationship is now over as the courts have found him guilty. As Loewen pleads innocence, Glynn turns a deaf ear to his pleas causing Loewen to tell Glynn that as an African American male, he should realize the courts' decisions have not always been correct. While Glynn remains sensitive to racial statements throughout the series, he does not do anything that suggests he is favoring to any particular group in Oz, especially the African American prisoners.
idealist with whom Glynn often disagrees. McManus has complete control of Em City from the commissioner but Glynn overrides some of his decisions at times. One decision in particular that is overruled is the addition of inmate Paul Markstrom
to the population of Em City. Markstrom, according to the file, is a petty African American drug dealer that is supposedly related to Glynn, but in actuality he is an undercover narcotics detective looking to put a plug in the drug trade. Glynn is the only staff member who knows his true identity and this becomes a problem when the Italian
inmates, led by Nino Schibetta
, kill Markstrom. Throughout the season, McManus and Glynn both argue frequently over the methods of controlling the drug distribution amongst the inmates. Glynn believes in more lockdowns and shakedowns to stop the traffic while McManus believes more in addiction treatment. Glynn announces several new policies over the season that anger the majority of the prison population. The board of corrections has decided to ban smoking and conjugal visit privileges from the prisoners and Glynn while having some disagreements over the policies states that enforcement of these policies is more important than the agreement of these policies. Tim McManus is most vocal against Devlin's administration and states that a riot may very well occur in Oz. Adding to this tension is the arrival of inmate Kareem Saïd, a black Muslim who is incarcerated for arson. Saïd is a well known militant who poses a major threat to the staff, Homeboys, and the Aryan Brotherhood
inmates.
Throughout the season several inmates die in Em City, mainly caught in the drug war between the Italian and Black inmates. This angers Governor Devlin who is already in the process of reinstating the death penalty. The death penalty is reinstated and as a result Homeboy leader Jefferson Keane
is executed by the state for murdering some other inmates. Another inmate Donald Groves
attempts to murder Glynn as he is trying to help the cause of Kareem Saïd. Groves instead kills African American CO Lawrence Smith
and as a result he is sentenced to death. Groves' attempt on Glynn and murdering of a CO causes the other guards to begin randomly assaulting prisoners throughout Oz which is something that appalls Tim McManus. Glynn is urged by Dr. Nathan, the prison doctor and McManus to fire the guards for this, but Glynn instead just temporarily suspends various COs without pay as punishment. This decision angers staff investigator Lenny Burrano
who explains to Leo that it is something they should not do as they both came up through the ranks as guards and realize the hardness and attitude that develop with the job. Glynn also is trying to put a plug in the drug trade and urges McManus to shut down the Italian inmates who control it the most. McManus does his best to do this by transferring all of the Italians with the exception of Schibetta out of Emerald City.
In the meantime, Kareem Saïd is organizing the Muslims and other inmates secretly and this gets Tim McManus to be greatly concerned about a riot. When disgraced Muslim Huseni Mershah
claims that Saïd wants to start a riot, Glynn orders a shakedown of Emerald City that results in a weapons seizure from every inmate but Saïd. McManus' suspicions become true and the prisoners take over Em City taking the Guards hostage. Saïd has a gun (which an unknown Black CO gave to him) during the riot and uses it to cause the inmates inside to organize. With the help of Scott Ross
, Ryan O'Reily
, Simon Adebisi
, and Miguel Alvarez, Saïd and the inmates make a list of demands to occur in order to release the guards who they have taken hostage. Glynn reads the demands and thinks that most of them are actually reasonable but Governor Devlin ardently opposes them and urges Leo to have the S.O.R.T. team use force to take back the prison. Tim McManus opposes this and goes into Em City with food for the prisoners in order to see how the hostages are doing. After McManus does not come back, Devlin has the S.O.R.T. team go in with machine guns and take back the cell block. As a result, 6 inmates and 2 correctional officers die and the rest of the prisoners are sent back to Gen Pop (With the exception of the riot leaders who were taken to Solitary). Tim McManus and several other staff members are greatly injured but live as they were accidentally shot during the take over.
has appointed to lead the investigation for purposes of clearing Devlin's hands. Throughout the investigation, Glynn and the staff are in the process of covering up the murder of inmate Scott Ross
from Case. Ross was shot in the head, heart, and genitals and after interrogating several staff members, Case is convinced that CO Diane Wittlesey
killed Ross. Glynn urges Case to leave it alone as Wittlesey is one of his best guards and Ross was one of the most dis likable prisoners in Em City to both the staff and inmates around him. Case concludes that the only way to get Devlin free from guilt in using force is to file no charges against any of the prisoners. Case states that the riot was caused directly by anti-prisoner acts passed through the Governor's office and that if the prisoners are guilty, Devlin is too. Devlin warns Case that he will not become the state's attorney general as a result but Case no longer wants the position as after investigating the prison conditions, he wants to run against Devlin for governor in the next election instead. Devlin is not supportive of this but goes through with it as Case announces to the press that no one in particular is at fault for the riot but improvements will be made to prevent another riot. This saves the job of Glynn and everyone else on the staff and also guarantees the reopening of Em City.
Emerald City is reopened 10 months after the riot under a new deal approved by Glynn and McManus. Ten inmate groups- The Muslims, Aryans, Homeboys, Latinos, Italians, Irish, Bikers, Gays, Christians, and Others will have four inmates from each group living in Em City and one representative from each group will be present on a Seg Council as a means of figuring out how to make life better for themselves and the staff inside of Oz. McManus starts a GED program which Glynn supports until Governor Devlin cuts it from the state budget. The program has positive results however particularly with inmate Arnold "Poet" Jackson whose talent for poetry brings a good name to Oz, a published book, and an early parole. This is short lived however as Poet violates parole and comes back to Oz for murdering a drug dealer whom he owed money.
In the meantime, Glynn has several issues. First, his daughter is raped at school by a gang of Latinos and this puts Glynn in complete disarray. A snide remark by inmate Miguel Alvarez during a speech that Glynn gives the inmates infuriates him and causes him to lash out on Alvarez sending him to solitary confinement. Sister Pete urges Glynn that he is a better man than that and that Miguel Alvarez was incarcerated at the time of the rape and not involved with the rape. Glynn lets Alvarez out of solitary then. Alvarez however knows the men responsible for the rape and tortures Glynn with this knowledge as revenge. In an interrogation Miguel won't tell Glynn the names of the men involved but does make comments pertaining to his daughter's rape. Glynn nearly assaults Alvarez but is stopped by Father Ray Mukada
. This incident causes there to be bad blood between Glynn and Alvarez who later in the season blinds a Latino CO named Eugene Rivera
. As a result Alvarez is sent to solitary by Glynn gladly.
The second major issue for Glynn this season is Italian inmate Peter Schibetta. Peter is the son of deceased leader Nino Schibetta and now runs the Italians with the help of Chucky Pancamo
. Leo's brother Mark committed a murder for the mafia, and as a result Peter uses it as leverage to get what he wants from Glynn inside of Oz. Peter gets the kitchen from Leo and then tells Leo that he will pay the price if Mark does not turn himself in for the murder. Mark turns himself in after a talk with Leo who then furiously transfers the Italian inmates out of the kitchen and into the dress factory. Peter is later raped by Black inmate Simon Adebisi and Glynn is not unhappy about it as he wants Schibetta to suffer. Antonio Nappa
comes to Oz to run the Italians, and with the help of the Italian staff members gets Glynn to take Adebisi off of heroin as a result.
Other issues that preside for Glynn in this season of Oz come in the form of Vernon Schillinger and Kareem Saïd. An inmate Alexander Vogel is murdered with the word "JEW" carved into his chest. Glynn quickly interrogates Schillinger, the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood. The interrogation does not yield any proof however giving Glynn a headache through Schillinger's obstinent and racist behavior (Schillinger tells Glynn that his "people", i.e. African Americans are as anti-semitic as the Brotherhood in addition to humming a blackface
minstrel song praising slavery). Glynn finds proof however from gay inmate Richie Hanlon
who is then forced to cop to Vogel's murder by Aryan Guard Karl Metzger
. Schillinger thereby goes free which angers Glynn. During the Islamic month of Ramadan, Glynn announces that Governor Devlin is pardoning a Muslim inmate from Oz. Kareem Saïd is chosen but refuses at the press conference as he believes it is a cheap way of gaining Islamic voters throughout the state. Saïd stays in Oz, a move that shocks Glynn and Tim McManus.
then comes forward and Vernon Schillinger is placed in solitary and Metzger is found murdered. Glynn later approves the hiring of Sean Murphy
as the head CO of Emerald City who is a life long friend of Tim McManus. Murphy starts a boxing program in Oz where one inmate from each group will be represented in the boxing tournament. Meanwhile, Augustus Hill with the help of Kareem Saïd testifies against inmate Malcolm Coyle
for murdering an Italian American family without getting caught. Glynn informs the DA but is too late as the Italians led by Antonio Nappa protect Hill through murdering Coyle. Glynn also must deal with letting Miguel Alvarez redeem himself for blinding Rivera by interactions with Sister Pete. In the midst of this, the Latinos are caught dealing drugs and after being unsuccessfully interrogated by Glynn, they make an attempt on the life of Miguel.
Glynn has a major issue when Clayton Hughes applies for a job at Oz. Hughes' father Samuel was an African American CO and Glynn's best friend who died working in Oz in 1982. As a result, Leo is the closest thing Clayton has to a father since Sam's death and he ardently refuses to hire Clayton as he fears for his safety. Leo hires Clayton however to the objections of his mother, Lenore as Clayton did well enough in CO training to be hired immediately in another State Prison. Glynn keeps a close eye on Clayton who ends up working in Em City. In Em City, Hughes messes up on more than one occasion and he is transferred to the library as a result. Glynn must also tell Hughes about the details pertaining to the death of Samuel and this puts Clayton in a very disturbed state. Things are made worse for Clayton when inmate Simon Adebisi tells him that it was a racially motivated killing of Samuel.
Throughout the season, Glynn must deal with Tim McManus and a rising racial tension inside of Oz. McManus is accused of sexually harassing CO Claire Howell
and inmate Kenny Wangler
. Because of McManus' sexual habits of bed hopping and womanizing, Glynn does not know what to believe and warns McManus that if any of this is true, he will be fired. Later, as Glynn confronts McManus for the "shit storms" he has created, McManus rebuts that Glynn's judgment is clouded for racial reasons. McManus points out to Leo that he has automatically taken the side of any Black inmate or staff member when issues pertaining to him arise and Glynn is extremely angered by this. At the same time the racial tension is on the rise in Oz due to the boxing tournament and a manipulative secret plan of black inmate Simon Adebisi. The boxing tournament is put on hold when the Aryan and Muslim inmates fight but Ryan O'Reily and Hamid Khan
convince Glynn to let the finals happen. The finals end in tragedy fueling to the emotional fire between the inmates and Glynn is forced to lock down the prison. As Glynn puts the prison in lock down, Hughes comes to him stating that they should be helping the black inmates out instead of punishing them. Glynn then states he feels no sense of brotherhood towards any of the black inmates in Oz and then fires Hughes. As Hughes is fired and the prison is in lock down, Clayton gives Adebisi a gun as a going away gift.
's campaign manager then talks with Glynn telling Leo that he has been chosen as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor
as their current Lieutenant Frank Feeley has throat cancer and will not be running for re-election. Glynn immediately asks if this is because Alvah Case, a fellow African American
has announced that he is running against Devlin. Devlin's campaign manager Wendy Schultz says it is a strong reason why Glynn has been chosen as there is a bad history between Devlin and the State's African American
community. Racial issues aside, Schultz states that their office figures that someone as conservative and publicly known as Glynn would be a great candidate for Lieutenant Governor and Glynn then says yes suspiciously. In Oz, Glynn wants to stop the drug traffic as the Homeboys, Latinos, and Italians for the time being are allied so he gets a narcotics detective Johnny Basil to pose as a Jamaican drug dealer named Desmond Mobay. Glynn is the only one who knows Basil's true identity and informs him of the dangers associated with Oz as another undercover detective Paul Markstrom died many years earlier in Oz. Throughout the season Basil is somewhat convincing as Mobay to the point where he ends up snorting a lot of heroin and murdering an inmate to get in the good graces of all three gangster groups.
Adebisi then asks Glynn to move Black inmates Arnold "Poet" Jackson, Kenny Wangler
, and Junior Pierce
out of Unit B and into Em City as a means of ending some of the racial tension within Oz's walls. Tim McManus
opposes this mainly because he hates Wangler for lying about a sexual harassment charge. Glynn is interested in eliminating racial issues within Oz and overrides McManus' objection. More racial issues arise however as those three inmates harass a new White inmate unfit for prison. Adebisi wanting revenge on Wangler gives a gun to this inmate Guillaume Tarrant
who then shoots Wangler, Pierce and a Black CO Joseph Howard amongst others. Glynn is now under intense pressure to fire Tim McManus and solve the gun smuggling quickly as a means of making the prison look well managed during the election campaign. Adebisi and Muslim inmate Zahir Arif
point out that McManus must go and a Black unit manager must be hired. Glynn does not yet give in as he still thinks McManus is competent and mentally sound enough to run Emerald City. McManus however is on a self-destructive path following recent relationship problems and sings De Camptown Races, a blackface minstrel song at the funeral of Joseph Howard, the Black CO who died in the shooting. As seen through earlier issues regarding race between McManus and Glynn, Leo draws the line with McManus here and immediately fires him as Unit Manager of Emerald City.
A problem arises when inmates Agamemnon Busmalis
and Miguel Alvarez escape Oz through a tunnel and Glynn asks Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez, the Latinos leader who despises Alvarez to help find him. El Cid orders a hit on Alvarez who is now on the run. Meanwhile, when investigating the gun smuggling, Glynn is told by El Cid that Adebisi got the gun from Clayton Hughes on Hughes' last day of work. Glynn furiously calls in Clayton who admits to smuggling the gun and he has Hughes arrested as a result told to shut up in the meantime. Since being fired, Hughes has become a Black Militant and is giving speeches that condemn Governor Devlin on a routine basis. Busmalis is then captured and the Republican party then is looking better in the preliminary polls. The Muslim inmates then convince African American community leaders to pressure Glynn into hiring a Black unit manager for Em City, and he begins to listen more and more as a means of becoming Lieutenant Governor with the Black vote. Glynn then hires Martin Querns
a Black man to run Em City appeasing the general public.
Martin Querns has experience working in several state detention centers and federal penitentiaries and is also from the ghetto like several of Oz's African American inmates. Querns is told he may run Em City any way he wishes as long as racial tension and violence are eliminated. Querns immediately reduces the violence by more than 92% and eliminates the racial tension element altogether. Although he has done this by empowering Simon Adebisi and his followers and sending most of the White inmates out of Em City, Glynn does not care as for the time being the Unit looks better managed. In the meantime Tim McManus undergoes psychiatric therapy and wants to run Em City again but the only available job in the Unit Manager position is Unit B which he reluctantly takes. During the campaign as order is maintained in Oz, Glynn stops paying attention to what changes are being made in Em City and is more focused on becoming the Lieutenant Governor. At a staff meeting, Tim McManus points out what has happened in Em City and Glynn turns a deaf ear as the violence has been almost eliminated from Em City. At a press conference shortly afterwards, Clayton Hughes goes psycho and tries to kill Governor Devlin. Devlin nearly dies, Hughes is charged with attempted murder, and Glynn drops out of the election race to stand by Clayton as he goes to trial.
Out of the election campaign, Glynn is brought more up to what has happened inside of Oz. Detective Johnny Basil turns himself in for the murder of Bruno Goergen
as his conscience kicks in and tell him to stop doing what he is to prove that he is not undercover. Two inmates then die, both residents of Em City and Glynn begins to get angered with Querns. McManus points out that Querns has empowered Adebisi and the Homeboys in Em City turning a blind eye to their behavior as long as order is maintained. He points out the lack of diversity as all the COs are now Black and White inmates are also scarce. Finally he points out drugs are out of control as stopping the drug traffic is not a priority of Querns. Glynn isn't convinced of this until McManus with the help of Kareem Saïd brings him a videotape of a party inside of Adebisi's pod. Glynn is disgusted by the acts involving drugs, alcohol, and sex that the Black inmates are committing unpunished. As a result, Querns is immediately fired and Leo realizes he hasn't paid enough attention to what has happened in Oz. He reinstates McManus as unit manager of Em City, and Adebisi then dies making a murder attempt on Kareem Saïd.
. Even though the staff is glad that O'Reily scarred off the news crew, Cyril's behavior grows worse over the season and Glynn is urged by McManus to send him to a mental institute. Amongst the O'Reily's, Cyril's brother Ryan is accused by Muslim inmate Zahir Arif of murdering Patrick Keenan
, an investigation that angers Glynn and frustrates Ryan. There is not enough evidence at the time however and Glynn must let O'Reily go free.
A number of new developments occur throughout this season however for Glynn. Oz is temporarily asked to house some illegal refugees from China who get caught up in a war between the Homeboys, Italians, and Latinos. This war escalates throughout the season to the point that inmates Supreme Allah
and Enrique Morales
are targeted to die by the Homeboy's new leader Burr Redding
. Supreme is attacked in the visiting room at one point and later dies in the cafeteria all on acts devised by the Homeboys. Morales lives though and with the help of Chucky Pancamo the Italian's leader, makes numerous attempts on Redding throughout the season. Miguel Alvarez is recaptured near the Mexican border and comes back to Oz. Alvarez then makes a deal with Glynn to remain out of solitary. He agrees to be Glynn's informant in Em City if allowed to stay there. This is short lived however as Alvarez cannot get back into El Norte and find any useful information. Amongst the Black inmates, the Muslims now have a war with the Aryans and Bikers that gets ugly throughout the season. Brotherhood initiate Carl Jenkins
makes an attempt on the life of Kareem Saïd but instead kills the newly converted Leroy Tidd
. This murder angers Saïd who wants Aryan inmate James Robson to suffer for setting up the murder. When Glynn tells Saïd there is not enough evidence to convict Robson of killing Tidd, Saïd violently attacks Robson and Schillinger to the point where the entire prison is threatened with a lock down until a truce is called. The truce is short lived however when the Aryans threaten the parole of white inmate Tobias Beecher. Saïd stabs Schillinger and Robson and Glynn has the DA charge him with attempted murder.
During the season, Glynn hires a new secretary and hosts the regional Warden's conference. At home, his wife requests a divorce which puts Leo into disarray. It can be assumed that his wife is divorcing him because he exploited several details of their family issues while running for Lieutenant Governor. Martin Querns has been hired by the commissioner to be Warden at Lardner, the other main prison in the state and shows up at the conference. At the conference, Querns tells Glynn that Clayton Hughes who is serving his sentence at Lardner is doing horribly and will most likely die within the year. Glynn wants Hughes to serve his sentence protected and begs for him to be transferred to Oz. In Oz, Hughes serves time in Unit J, one of the safest units in the prison as it is the Unit for convicted police officers. In that unit, Hughes serves time with Alvin Yood
a small town sheriff imprisoned for assault and Detective Johnny Basil who is no longer under the alias of Desmond Mobay. Hughes is problem for both of them and kills Basil. This forces Glynn to transfer him to solitary which he manages to take over. In solitary Hughes goes psycho capturing and threatening to rape CO Travis Smith
. As the SORT team attempts to recapture Hughes, Glynn goes in first to try to reason with him as a means of preventing Hughes from doing anything crazy. Clayton then tries to kill Glynn who is saved by inmate Greg Penders
. The death of both Hughes and Basil, two of the only two inmates whom he had any considerable care for the well being of and the divorce from his wife puts Glynn into a bad state. Glynn is then seen drunk in his office distraught over the bad things that have happened and then considers resigning as Warden of Oz.
In this half of the season a baptist reverend named Jeremiah Cloutier
comes to Oz for embezzlement. Cloutier is really a good person who is in Oz for stealing money, so Glynn privileges him more than the other prisoners. As a result Cloutier has a positive impact on several of Oz's inmates but is threatened by Catholic convert Timmy Kirk
who is out to cause trouble. Kirk uses his conversion as an excuse to bully several Catholic inmates and then with the help of the Bikers gets Reverend Cloutier trapped into a wall that is being constructed. This gets worse when O'Reilly accidental leaves the gas stove turned on which is then ignited by a CO lighting a cigarette. The resulting explosion destroys the cafeteria leaving Cloutier with third degree burns across his body. The kitchen and Em City are both destroyed and Glynn must send all the inmates to Gen Pop.
undetected. This war is stopped for the most part as Sister Pete has Kareem Saïd, Tobias Beecher, and Vernon Schillinger involved in various interaction sessions.
Glynn also sees that Peter Schibetta has finally been released from the psychiatric unit recovering from the raping received three years earlier by Simon Adebisi. Schibetta is not out for long though as he is raped for a second time as the Italians and Aryan Brotherhood go to war over the death of Hank Schillinger, Vern's son. When Sister Pete wants to help bring Schibetta's rapists to justice, she discovers how much Glynn really hates Schibetta as he states that "Here in Oz, rape has a leveling effect." This war causes a crippling blow to all of the Italians' current leaders causing a request to Glynn from Burr Redding to control the cafeteria. Glynn does not want the Homeboys to manage the cafeteria mainly because of the disastrous way it was run under the management of Simon Adebisi. Redding convinces Glynn though that the Italians are currently unfit to manage the place and the Black inmates who are the majority of the staff are more likely to do a good job under his leadership so he is given control.
Glynn also deals with the issues pertaining to Reverend Cloutier this season. As he was badly burned in the gas explosion, the only inmate they can for the time being implicate is Jaz Hoyt
as he was the head of the repair crew that trapped Cloutier. Things get complicated between Cloutier's flock, The Bikers, and inmate Timmy Kirk and Hoyt then after seeing a supposed vision confesses to a series of murders inside of Oz and ends up on death row. Kirk in the mean time is trying to cause trouble for Father Ray Mukada and hires inmate Clarence Seroy
to set up a burning of the rectory in which Mukada resides. Glynn is angered by this and with help from the Bikers, gets Kirk moved to death row. Reverend Cloutier's body ends up missing though and leaves the staff baffled.
Glynn later sees that McManus is engaging two new programs for the inmates to help rehabilitate themselves. He is starting a singing program with the help of Ryan O'Reily's mother and a guide dog program from a woman named Alicia Hinden. Both programs have positive results especially for inmates Omar White
and Miguel Alvarez, two inmates the staff have almost no hope or belief in. Alvarez is on an upward trend coming into his parole hearing which Tim McManus supports. Glynn ardently refuses to acknowledge Alvarez's attempts at rehabilitation and tells the parole board to do everything in their power not to let him go. The board is successful as Alvarez gets agitated and strikes Luis Ruiz, the only Latino on the board during the hearing. Glynn shortly afterwards gets evidence from Tobias Beecher implicating Vernon Schillinger in the raping of inmates Franklin Winthrop and Adam Guenzel. As a result, Glynn sentences Vern to solitary for an undecided length of time.
are up for review and voted on by Glynn and the staff. Being that Glynn cares about his officers, he refuses to let Martinez and Penders out of solitary as the two of them are in for attacking COs. Omar White then remains in solitary as well. Stanton and Schillinger are released along with Miguel Alvarez whom Tim McManus insisted upon releasing into Emerald City. Glynn then sees that an associate of his, Mayor Wilson Loewen
is on trial for assisting the Ku Klux Klan
in a racially motivated killing of two African American girls in 1963. This trial causes a race riot in the city's African American neighborhoods and a lockdown of Oz whose Black inmates are angered at the mere presence of the trial. As the SORT team locks the prison down, they discover the dead body of Tobias Beecher's father who died at the hands of Franklin Winthrop.
The trial of Wilson Loewen ends with him being found guilty of murder in the second degree. Loewen is a key politician that helped Governor Devlin get elected so Devlin is very insistent on how Loewen will be carefully handled when he gets sent to prison. Devlin has Loewen sent to Oz to placate and appease the African American mob that has formed. Devlin has an unannounced intention of pardoning him as the racial tension outside of Oz cools down. In Oz, Devlin insists that he be placed in the safest unit which happens to be Unit J, the bad police unit which currently has no African American inmates. As Glynn sees Loewen arriving to prison, Loewen tells him that he is innocent but Glynn does not care as the courts have found him guilty. Loewen then pleas that as a Black man, Glynn should realize that the court's decisions aren't always correct. Loewen is in Oz safely until he blackmails Governor Devlin for a pardon. Devlin then uses his African American assistant Perry Loftus
to secretly cause the death of Loewen and then handpicks police detectives to help keep their hands clean from the murder. However, Glynn, Tim McManus, Eleanor O'Connor and Detective McGorry figure out that it is Loftus and CO Adrian Johnson
who are responsible for the deaths of Loewen and other inmates who know about the murder. Shortly afterwards, O'Connor and Glynn have an affair which shocks McManus. As suspicions grow, Johnson has inmate Lionel Kelsch murder Glynn the night of the lifetime achievement award ceremony. Glynn's murder causes Tim McManus to put together every possible piece of evidence to convict Devlin of the whole conspiracy that took place. In the meantime, Martin Querns is named as his replacement as warden.
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
. He is the warden of the Oswald state correctional facility
Character overview
He began working as a correctional officer (possibly Oz's first African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
CO) in Oz in the early 1960s and is a very old-fashioned, conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
official. As described in the Journal of Augustus Hill
Augustus Hill
Augustus Hill is a fictional character, played by Harold Perrineau on the American television show Oz, serving as the show's narrator.-Character overview:...
, Glynn's philosophy of running a prison is based more on retribution than redemption and rehabilitation. As stated in the journal, the reasoning behind this is so that Glynn can one day be promoted to the position of Commissioner of Prisons. The journal also states that Glynn wishes to do this in order to one day become the state's first African American Governor. He runs the entire prison answering mainly to Governor James Devlin
Governor James Devlin
Governor James Devlin is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Željko Ivanek.-Character overview:Devlin, the governor of the state, is hated by most of the inmates and some of the staff members at the Oswald State Correctional facilities as he proposes several anti-prisoner acts of...
, a right-wing politician with whom even Glynn has policy disagreements. Throughout the series, Glynn is well respected by the staff and for the most part, treats the prisoners as justly as need be. Despite this, he has had moments which show another side of his personality. He can be petty and vindictive at times, notably refusing to move Andrew Schillinger due to dislike of Vern Schillinger and making Alvarez miss a meeting with his family out of a dislike of Latinos. Furthermore, he is often prone to take sides against those he works with. He fired and quickly rehired Sister Pete for protesting an execution. He was unwilling to defend McManus and Em City from Devlin as well as siding with black inmates on some issues. Glynn can also act on his disdain for prisoners on occasion like letting Alvarez starve and nearly commit suicide after he blinded a guard
As Warden
As Glynn's philosophy in running a prison is retribution based, he is very conservative on issues involving Law and Order believing that the prisoners in Oz should serve hard time for hard crimes. As a warden, he cares most about maintaining order in his prison and stopping the drug trade amongst other things. To prevent drugs from moving within Oz, Glynn is a fan of week-long lockdowns as a means of keeping the inmates from moving drugs within Oz. Knowing the demographics and power structure of Oz, Glynn also secretly assigns two African American Narcotics Detectives from the Police Department on two different occasions to put a plug in the drug traffic. As a former CO, Glynn realizes that contraband or "tits" does get sneaked into Oz and it won't go away altogether, but he wants the staff to enforce the smuggling as much as possible.When acts of violence occur in Oz, Glynn has a tendency to lead a harsh interrogation of the suspected inmates but is quick to file a crime as "unsolved" when there is not adequate enough evidence to convict someone. Glynn also tries to only make convictions on inmates that result in a major change of Oz's power structure. On violence between the inmates, Glynn is preventative when lives are at risk and quick to lock down and isolate specific inmates as a means of stopping a war. He never seems to favor one side of inmates in any war and is quick to inflict penalties upon the gang's leaders. When inmates misbehave in general, Glynn immediately orders the staff to place them in solitary as Glynn wants the inmates who cause the most trouble out of the general population for as long as he can keep them out. Solitary seems to be the most preferable punishment to Glynn as he is quick to send an inmate to Ad Seg when the prison rules have been somewhat violated. When obtaining inside information about acts of violence to occur in Oz, Glynn often cares less about the informants' motives in reporting it and uses the information to cause a lock down of the prison.
On the issue of prison rape
Prison rape
Prison rape commonly refers to the rape of inmates in prison by other inmates or prison staff.In 2001, Human Rights Watch estimated that at least 140,000 inmates had been raped while incarcerated. and there is a significant variation in the rates of prison rape by race...
, Glynn is not quick to investigate acts of sexual abuse and violence for two main reasons. First Glynn realizes rape will occur in prison, and secondly, Glynn sees the positive administrative standpoint of rape inside prison in the "leveling effect" it has upon the rape victims. Glynn feels that inmates who are victims of it less likely to be a discipline problem as presented when inmate Peter Schibetta
Peter Schibetta
Peter Schibetta is a fictional character on the HBO series Oz, portrayed by Eddie Malavarca.-Character overview:Prisoner #98S112. Convicted May 19, 1998 - Five counts of extortion: money laundering. Sentence: 35 years, eligible for parole in 20....
, whom Glynn has a personal vendetta against, is raped on two different occasions. This attitude shocks Oz staff members such as Sister Peter Marie
Sister Peter Marie
Sister Peter Marie Reimondo aka Sister Pete is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz played by Rita Moreno.right|thumb|Rita Moreno as Sister Peter Marie.-Creation:...
who remind Leo that he should take a more compassionate view about rape following the rape of his daughter.
Amongst the inmates, Glynn is feared due to his toughened law and order based attitude. Glynn's preference for the isolation ward, week-long lock downs, and harsh interrogation style helps him empower this fear. Unlike Tim McManus
Tim McManus
Tim McManus is a fictional character on HBO's prison drama Oz, played by Terry Kinney.-Character overview:McManus, the idealistic manager of Emerald City, is unlike the rest of the staff members at Oz as he has never been a CO, has a college education, and generally believes in the inmates as...
, he does not try to build a working relationship with the inmates to help them better themselves, rather he just cares that they are obedient of his command of the prison. Glynn seems to get along with the inmates who run the cafeteria as long as it is run in an efficient and respectable manner. In general though, Glynn treats the inmates as fairly as need be assuming they have not done anything to cross his path.
Amongst his staff, Glynn is well respected even by COs who have shown a dislike for Oz's minority inmates. When problems pertaining to COs and inmates arise, Glynn is quick to help his officers out whether it be keeping inmates who attack them in Solitary Confinement or preventing an investigation that could lead to the firing of one of his officers. This is mainly because Glynn feels that he and his staff must remain unified and see eye to eye as much as possible. Throughout the series, Glynn has disagreements with some of the higher ranking liberal staff members such as Tim McManus
Tim McManus
Tim McManus is a fictional character on HBO's prison drama Oz, played by Terry Kinney.-Character overview:McManus, the idealistic manager of Emerald City, is unlike the rest of the staff members at Oz as he has never been a CO, has a college education, and generally believes in the inmates as...
, Sister Pete
Sister Peter Marie
Sister Peter Marie Reimondo aka Sister Pete is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz played by Rita Moreno.right|thumb|Rita Moreno as Sister Peter Marie.-Creation:...
, and Dr. Nathan but respects their vision and does what he can to meet them halfway on most issues. Overall, Glynn is focused on maintaining order amongst the inmates, stopping the drug trade, and convicting the inmates he can for crimes that they commit when sufficient evidence is present.
Family and Relationships
Earlier in the series, Leo is married to a wife Mary with at least one daughter Ardeth. At that point Ardeth is the age to be in college and Leo is stressed out as most fathers are when she asks him if she and her boyfriend can share an apartment. She is raped at school by a gang of Latinos, a move that puts Glynn into disarray causing him to lash out against Latino inmate Miguel AlvarezMiguel Alvarez
Miguel Alvarez is a fictional character played by American actor Kirk Acevedo on the television show Oz. He is the main Latino inmate in the series. He is a gang member of El Norte and of Cuban descent.-Character overview:...
. When Alvarez claims to know who committed the rape, he tortures Leo with this knowledge who would have beat Miguel into submission had Father Mukada not been around. This starts the bad blood between Alvarez and Glynn. Leo's brother Mark also has economic issues in Season 2 and commits a murder for the mafia that Italian inmate Peter Schibetta uses for leverage. When Mark turns himself in, Leo remains on bad terms with Schibetta and refuses to lead a rigorous investigation when Peter gets raped on two different occasions. In season 4 during the election campaign, Glynn tells these details about his brother and daughter, a move that angers Mary leading up to a divorce in the second half of the season. While separated, the viewers assume that Glynn will begin a relationship with new secretary Floria Mills, but no specific details on the show confirm this. As far as other family members are concerned, CO Clayton Hughes
Clayton Hughes
Clayton Hughes is a character played by Seth Gilliam on the HBO dramatic series Oz, which takes place in an experimental prison unit.He started out as a corrections officer. Warden Glynn did not want Clayton to work in Oz. The main reason was that Clayton's father, Samuel Hughes, was murdered in Oz...
is the son of Leo's best friend, deceased CO Samuel and Leo becomes the closest thing Hughes has to a father. When Hughes goes crazy and goes to prison at Lardener, Glynn demands that he be transferred to Oz where he can be protected but Hughes goes even crazier trying to murder Leo while Glynn attempts to talk some sense into him. Hughes' erratic behavior drives Glynn to an alcoholic state where he is seen drinking whiskey on the job during two instances in Season 4. When Tim McManus' ex-wife Eleanor O'Connor comes to Oz, she and Leo begin a relationship that is revealed only a few scenes before Leo's death.
As an African American
Glynn treats all the prisoners of every race equally, never showing favoritism towards any specific ethnic group (He is seen being forced to show favoritism to the Italian inmates at one point due to blackmail; similarly, he for a while took a very hard line against Latinos in the prison as a result of a Latino gang raping his daughter). As Oz is racially divided by individual groups, several of the white inmates such as Vern Schillinger have often referred to Glynn as Oz's "NiggerNigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
Warden". Glynn states to Clayton Hughes
Clayton Hughes
Clayton Hughes is a character played by Seth Gilliam on the HBO dramatic series Oz, which takes place in an experimental prison unit.He started out as a corrections officer. Warden Glynn did not want Clayton to work in Oz. The main reason was that Clayton's father, Samuel Hughes, was murdered in Oz...
, whom he views as a son, that he feels no sense of brotherhood towards any of the Black inmates in Oz as he only feels a sense of brotherhood towards Blacks who obey the law. Glynn is also politically conservative so he often does not feel the same way that most other Blacks do when it comes to various state issues (In season 4, it is stated that Governor Devlin's office has a bad relationship with the state's black community). Glynn also points out in Season 3 that he began working as a CO in Oz in the late 1960s, suggesting that he could very well be Oz's first black correctional officer.
In season 1, Glynn initially attempts to get black inmate Kareem Said
Kareem Said
Kareem Saïd is a character played by British actor Eamonn Walker on the American television show Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #97S444. Convicted June 6, 1997 - Arson in the second degree. Sentence: 18 years, eligible for parole in five...
to cool his rhetoric about the prison system by telling him "Don't fuck with me, my brother" as a means of telling him as one Black man to another not to cause any racial uprisings within Oz. In season 4, Glynn is asked to run as Devlin's Lieutenant Governor mainly because Alvah Case, a well-respected African American law school dean is the Democratic candidate for governor. Glynn agrees because he is as conservative as Devlin on most every issue. At this point Glynn is also pressured to fire Tim McManus but does not do so until McManus commits a series of self-destructive and idiotic acts closed out by the singing of "De Camptown Races
Camptown Races
Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster . It was probably composed in Cincinnati in 1849, according to Richard Jackson, and published by F. D. Benteen of Baltimore, Maryland, in February 1850...
", a blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
minstrel song at the funeral of a Black CO. During the campaign, Glynn also is pressured by fellow black community activists to replace McManus with a black Unit Manager. He does, but eventually McManus and inmate Kareem Said
Kareem Said
Kareem Saïd is a character played by British actor Eamonn Walker on the American television show Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #97S444. Convicted June 6, 1997 - Arson in the second degree. Sentence: 18 years, eligible for parole in five...
show evidence of corruption in Emerald City, which ends up getting McManus his job back.
Glynn's ethnicity is brought up once again in Season 6 when an associate of Governor Devlin, City Mayor Wilson Loewen
Wilson Loewen
Wilson Loewen is a fictional character at HBO's drama Oz played by Tom Atkins.-Character Overview:Mayor Wilson Loewen was a politician who helped Governor James Devlin get elected. He was arrested after the police discovered he was involved with two murders of Black-Americans girls in 1963 during...
, is found guilty of aiding and abetting members of the White supremacist organization the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
in a 1963 murder of two young African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
girls. A race riot
Race riot
A race riot or racial riot is an outbreak of violent civil disorder in which race is a key factor. A phenomenon frequently confused with the concept of 'race riot' is sectarian violence, which involves public mass violence or conflict over non-racial factors.-United States:The term had entered the...
breaks out in the city's African American neighborhoods and Glynn prevents one from breaking out in Oz immediately locking down the prison upon the news airing of the trial. When Loewen is sent to Oz, Glynn is forced by Devlin to place him in a safe housing unit with no African American inmates as a means of keeping Loewen alive until Devlin can eventually pardon him. Loewen arrives in Oz attempting to bring up good memories between him and Leo during the governor campaign but Glynn disgusted by his crime states that their past relationship is now over as the courts have found him guilty. As Loewen pleads innocence, Glynn turns a deaf ear to his pleas causing Loewen to tell Glynn that as an African American male, he should realize the courts' decisions have not always been correct. While Glynn remains sensitive to racial statements throughout the series, he does not do anything that suggests he is favoring to any particular group in Oz, especially the African American prisoners.
Season 1
As warden of Oz, Glynn carries out Devlin's orders and does what he can to manage the state's largest correctional facility. A new cell block, Emerald City, is opened up and run by a unit manager named Tim McManus. McManus is unlike the rest of the higher ranking staff at Oz in that he came in with a college education and never started off as a correctional officer. He is a liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
idealist with whom Glynn often disagrees. McManus has complete control of Em City from the commissioner but Glynn overrides some of his decisions at times. One decision in particular that is overruled is the addition of inmate Paul Markstrom
Paul Markstrom
Paul Markstrom, played by O.L. Duke, is a fictional character on the HBO series Oz.-Character overview:Paul Markstrom is an undercover police detective sent to Oz in order to investigate the drug trade within its walls. He is introduced as Warden Leo Glynn's cousin as his cover. He joins the...
to the population of Em City. Markstrom, according to the file, is a petty African American drug dealer that is supposedly related to Glynn, but in actuality he is an undercover narcotics detective looking to put a plug in the drug trade. Glynn is the only staff member who knows his true identity and this becomes a problem when the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
inmates, led by Nino Schibetta
Nino Schibetta
Antonino "Nino" Schibetta, played by Tony Musante, is a fictional character in the HBO series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #95S604. Convicted December 12, 1995 - Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder...
, kill Markstrom. Throughout the season, McManus and Glynn both argue frequently over the methods of controlling the drug distribution amongst the inmates. Glynn believes in more lockdowns and shakedowns to stop the traffic while McManus believes more in addiction treatment. Glynn announces several new policies over the season that anger the majority of the prison population. The board of corrections has decided to ban smoking and conjugal visit privileges from the prisoners and Glynn while having some disagreements over the policies states that enforcement of these policies is more important than the agreement of these policies. Tim McManus is most vocal against Devlin's administration and states that a riot may very well occur in Oz. Adding to this tension is the arrival of inmate Kareem Saïd, a black Muslim who is incarcerated for arson. Saïd is a well known militant who poses a major threat to the staff, Homeboys, and the Aryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood in Oz
The Aryan Brotherhood in the TV series Oz is a gang of white supremacist inmates led by Vernon Schillinger.-Overview:The Aryans of Oz are a loosely organized gang of white supremacist inmates. As a minority, the Caucasian-American prisoners of the gang mostly come from criminal backgrounds already...
inmates.
Throughout the season several inmates die in Em City, mainly caught in the drug war between the Italian and Black inmates. This angers Governor Devlin who is already in the process of reinstating the death penalty. The death penalty is reinstated and as a result Homeboy leader Jefferson Keane
Jefferson Keane
Jefferson Keane aka Tizi Ozuo is a fictional character in the HBO prison drama Oz played by American actor Leon Robinson.-Character overview:...
is executed by the state for murdering some other inmates. Another inmate Donald Groves
Donald Groves
Donald Groves is a fictional character on the HBO prison drama Oz, played by Sean Whitesell.-Character overview:Prisoner 97G414. Convicted July 3, 1997 - Two counts of Murder in the first degree. Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole. Convicted later August 21, 1997 - One count of Murder in...
attempts to murder Glynn as he is trying to help the cause of Kareem Saïd. Groves instead kills African American CO Lawrence Smith
Lawrence Smith (Oz)
Lawrence Smith is an African American correctional officer on the HBO drama Oz, played by Curtis McClarin.-Character overview:He appears in only one episode in season 1 where he dies defending Warden Leo Glynn from inmate Donald Groves. Groves attempted to kill Glynn as he wanted to appease Muslim...
and as a result he is sentenced to death. Groves' attempt on Glynn and murdering of a CO causes the other guards to begin randomly assaulting prisoners throughout Oz which is something that appalls Tim McManus. Glynn is urged by Dr. Nathan, the prison doctor and McManus to fire the guards for this, but Glynn instead just temporarily suspends various COs without pay as punishment. This decision angers staff investigator Lenny Burrano
Lenny Burrano
Lenny Burrano is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Skipp Sudduth.-Character overview:Burrano is an Italian-American lead investigator who previously served as a correctional officer.-Season 1:...
who explains to Leo that it is something they should not do as they both came up through the ranks as guards and realize the hardness and attitude that develop with the job. Glynn also is trying to put a plug in the drug trade and urges McManus to shut down the Italian inmates who control it the most. McManus does his best to do this by transferring all of the Italians with the exception of Schibetta out of Emerald City.
In the meantime, Kareem Saïd is organizing the Muslims and other inmates secretly and this gets Tim McManus to be greatly concerned about a riot. When disgraced Muslim Huseni Mershah
Huseni Mershah
Huseni Mershah, aka James Monroe Madison, is a Muslim inmate on the HBO drama Oz played by Roger Guenveur Smith.-Character overview:Prisoner #97M688. Convicted August 11, 1997 - Attempted murder, first degree assault...
claims that Saïd wants to start a riot, Glynn orders a shakedown of Emerald City that results in a weapons seizure from every inmate but Saïd. McManus' suspicions become true and the prisoners take over Em City taking the Guards hostage. Saïd has a gun (which an unknown Black CO gave to him) during the riot and uses it to cause the inmates inside to organize. With the help of Scott Ross
Scott Ross (Oz)
Scott Ross, played by Stephen Gevedon, is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz.right|thumb|Stephen Gevedon as Scott Ross.-Character overview:...
, Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily is a main character in the television series Oz. He was portrayed by Dean Winters from 1997 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P904. Convicted July 12, 1997 - Two counts of vehicular manslaughter, five counts of reckless endangerment, possession of a controlled substance,...
, Simon Adebisi
Simon Adebisi
Simon Adebisi is a fictional character played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the HBO dramatic series Oz, set in an experimental prison unit.-Character overview:Prisoner #93A234. Convicted May 2, 1993 - Murder in the first degree...
, and Miguel Alvarez, Saïd and the inmates make a list of demands to occur in order to release the guards who they have taken hostage. Glynn reads the demands and thinks that most of them are actually reasonable but Governor Devlin ardently opposes them and urges Leo to have the S.O.R.T. team use force to take back the prison. Tim McManus opposes this and goes into Em City with food for the prisoners in order to see how the hostages are doing. After McManus does not come back, Devlin has the S.O.R.T. team go in with machine guns and take back the cell block. As a result, 6 inmates and 2 correctional officers die and the rest of the prisoners are sent back to Gen Pop (With the exception of the riot leaders who were taken to Solitary). Tim McManus and several other staff members are greatly injured but live as they were accidentally shot during the take over.
Season 2
The aftermath of the riot is investigated by Alvah Case, a law school dean whom DevlinGovernor James Devlin
Governor James Devlin is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Željko Ivanek.-Character overview:Devlin, the governor of the state, is hated by most of the inmates and some of the staff members at the Oswald State Correctional facilities as he proposes several anti-prisoner acts of...
has appointed to lead the investigation for purposes of clearing Devlin's hands. Throughout the investigation, Glynn and the staff are in the process of covering up the murder of inmate Scott Ross
Scott Ross (Oz)
Scott Ross, played by Stephen Gevedon, is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz.right|thumb|Stephen Gevedon as Scott Ross.-Character overview:...
from Case. Ross was shot in the head, heart, and genitals and after interrogating several staff members, Case is convinced that CO Diane Wittlesey
Diane Wittlesey
Officer Diane Wittlesey is a fictional character played by Edie Falco on the television program Oz.-Character overview:Oz's first female correctional officer is a divorcee and single mother, who has suffered spousal abuse, poverty and substance abuse; through all of that she gained a pretty good...
killed Ross. Glynn urges Case to leave it alone as Wittlesey is one of his best guards and Ross was one of the most dis likable prisoners in Em City to both the staff and inmates around him. Case concludes that the only way to get Devlin free from guilt in using force is to file no charges against any of the prisoners. Case states that the riot was caused directly by anti-prisoner acts passed through the Governor's office and that if the prisoners are guilty, Devlin is too. Devlin warns Case that he will not become the state's attorney general as a result but Case no longer wants the position as after investigating the prison conditions, he wants to run against Devlin for governor in the next election instead. Devlin is not supportive of this but goes through with it as Case announces to the press that no one in particular is at fault for the riot but improvements will be made to prevent another riot. This saves the job of Glynn and everyone else on the staff and also guarantees the reopening of Em City.
Emerald City is reopened 10 months after the riot under a new deal approved by Glynn and McManus. Ten inmate groups- The Muslims, Aryans, Homeboys, Latinos, Italians, Irish, Bikers, Gays, Christians, and Others will have four inmates from each group living in Em City and one representative from each group will be present on a Seg Council as a means of figuring out how to make life better for themselves and the staff inside of Oz. McManus starts a GED program which Glynn supports until Governor Devlin cuts it from the state budget. The program has positive results however particularly with inmate Arnold "Poet" Jackson whose talent for poetry brings a good name to Oz, a published book, and an early parole. This is short lived however as Poet violates parole and comes back to Oz for murdering a drug dealer whom he owed money.
In the meantime, Glynn has several issues. First, his daughter is raped at school by a gang of Latinos and this puts Glynn in complete disarray. A snide remark by inmate Miguel Alvarez during a speech that Glynn gives the inmates infuriates him and causes him to lash out on Alvarez sending him to solitary confinement. Sister Pete urges Glynn that he is a better man than that and that Miguel Alvarez was incarcerated at the time of the rape and not involved with the rape. Glynn lets Alvarez out of solitary then. Alvarez however knows the men responsible for the rape and tortures Glynn with this knowledge as revenge. In an interrogation Miguel won't tell Glynn the names of the men involved but does make comments pertaining to his daughter's rape. Glynn nearly assaults Alvarez but is stopped by Father Ray Mukada
Father Ray Mukada
Father Ray Mukada is a character on the HBO television series Oz, played by B. D. Wong.right|thumb|B.D. Wong as Father Ray Mukada.-Character history:...
. This incident causes there to be bad blood between Glynn and Alvarez who later in the season blinds a Latino CO named Eugene Rivera
Eugene Rivera
Eugene Rivera is a fictional character played by Nelson Vasquez in the HBO drama Oz.-Character overview:A Latino Correctional Officer and a former member of the Los Diablos gang, he is an enemy of Latino inmate Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez. After seeing Rivera at work, Hernandez tells disgraced Latino...
. As a result Alvarez is sent to solitary by Glynn gladly.
The second major issue for Glynn this season is Italian inmate Peter Schibetta. Peter is the son of deceased leader Nino Schibetta and now runs the Italians with the help of Chucky Pancamo
Chucky Pancamo
Charles "Chucky The Enforcer" Pancamo is a fictional character, played by Chuck Zito, on the HBO series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P468. Convicted June 4, 1997 - Second degree murder. Sentence: 35 years, eligible for parole in 15....
. Leo's brother Mark committed a murder for the mafia, and as a result Peter uses it as leverage to get what he wants from Glynn inside of Oz. Peter gets the kitchen from Leo and then tells Leo that he will pay the price if Mark does not turn himself in for the murder. Mark turns himself in after a talk with Leo who then furiously transfers the Italian inmates out of the kitchen and into the dress factory. Peter is later raped by Black inmate Simon Adebisi and Glynn is not unhappy about it as he wants Schibetta to suffer. Antonio Nappa
Antonio Nappa
Antonio Nappa is a fictional character played by Mark Margolis on the HBO dramatic series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #98N744. Convicted June 4, 1998 - Murder in the second degree. Sentence: 80 years, eligible for parole in 50...
comes to Oz to run the Italians, and with the help of the Italian staff members gets Glynn to take Adebisi off of heroin as a result.
Other issues that preside for Glynn in this season of Oz come in the form of Vernon Schillinger and Kareem Saïd. An inmate Alexander Vogel is murdered with the word "JEW" carved into his chest. Glynn quickly interrogates Schillinger, the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood. The interrogation does not yield any proof however giving Glynn a headache through Schillinger's obstinent and racist behavior (Schillinger tells Glynn that his "people", i.e. African Americans are as anti-semitic as the Brotherhood in addition to humming a blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
minstrel song praising slavery). Glynn finds proof however from gay inmate Richie Hanlon
Richie Hanlon
Richard "Richie" Hanlon is a fictional character on the TV show Oz portrayed by Jordan Lage.-Character overview:Prisoner #98H462. Convicted June 3, 1998 - Possession and distribution of a controlled substance. Sentence: Eight years, up for parole in five. Convicted in 1998 of two counts of Murder...
who is then forced to cop to Vogel's murder by Aryan Guard Karl Metzger
Karl Metzger
Karl Metzger was a fictional guard on the HBO dramatic series Oz, played by Bill Fagerbakke.-Character overview:Karl Metzger is a correctional officer assigned as supervisor of the Emerald City unit of Oswald Prison; A neo-Nazi, Metzger uses his power to intimidate prisoners and assist the Aryan...
. Schillinger thereby goes free which angers Glynn. During the Islamic month of Ramadan, Glynn announces that Governor Devlin is pardoning a Muslim inmate from Oz. Kareem Saïd is chosen but refuses at the press conference as he believes it is a cheap way of gaining Islamic voters throughout the state. Saïd stays in Oz, a move that shocks Glynn and Tim McManus.
Season 3
This season starts out with issues pertaining to CO Karl Metzger. A number of incidents involving the Aryan Brotherhood have occurred and Tim McManus thinks Metzger is responsible. McManus' suspicions are true when it is discovered that Metzger used to belong to a White Supremacist organization and Glynn is urged to take action. Glynn refuses to take action until there is hard evidence that Metzger is working with Vernon Schillinger and the Aryans. This move surprises McManus who points out to Glynn that Metzger only thinks of Glynn as a Nigger. Chris KellerChris Keller
Chris Keller is a fictional character on the HBO series Oz, portrayed by Christopher Meloni from 1998 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner ID 98K514. Convicted June 16, 1998 - felony murder, two counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, driving under the influence and...
then comes forward and Vernon Schillinger is placed in solitary and Metzger is found murdered. Glynn later approves the hiring of Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy (Oz)
Sean Murphy is an Irish American Correctional Officer on the HBO drama Oz, played by Robert Clohessy. A fair and honest officer, Murphy is handpicked by Tim McManus to act as the head CO of Emerald City as he and McManus are lifelong friends...
as the head CO of Emerald City who is a life long friend of Tim McManus. Murphy starts a boxing program in Oz where one inmate from each group will be represented in the boxing tournament. Meanwhile, Augustus Hill with the help of Kareem Saïd testifies against inmate Malcolm Coyle
Malcolm Coyle
Malcolm "Snake" Coyle is a prisoner on the television show Oz played by Treach of the rap group Naughty By Nature.-Character overview:Prisoner #99C122. Convicted January 17, 1999 - Grand larceny, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, assault of a police officer...
for murdering an Italian American family without getting caught. Glynn informs the DA but is too late as the Italians led by Antonio Nappa protect Hill through murdering Coyle. Glynn also must deal with letting Miguel Alvarez redeem himself for blinding Rivera by interactions with Sister Pete. In the midst of this, the Latinos are caught dealing drugs and after being unsuccessfully interrogated by Glynn, they make an attempt on the life of Miguel.
Glynn has a major issue when Clayton Hughes applies for a job at Oz. Hughes' father Samuel was an African American CO and Glynn's best friend who died working in Oz in 1982. As a result, Leo is the closest thing Clayton has to a father since Sam's death and he ardently refuses to hire Clayton as he fears for his safety. Leo hires Clayton however to the objections of his mother, Lenore as Clayton did well enough in CO training to be hired immediately in another State Prison. Glynn keeps a close eye on Clayton who ends up working in Em City. In Em City, Hughes messes up on more than one occasion and he is transferred to the library as a result. Glynn must also tell Hughes about the details pertaining to the death of Samuel and this puts Clayton in a very disturbed state. Things are made worse for Clayton when inmate Simon Adebisi tells him that it was a racially motivated killing of Samuel.
Throughout the season, Glynn must deal with Tim McManus and a rising racial tension inside of Oz. McManus is accused of sexually harassing CO Claire Howell
Claire Howell
Claire Howell is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz portrayed by Kristin Rohde.-Character overview:A sexual predator serving as a guard in the eponymous prison, she preys on all the men in her orbit, prisoners and guards alike, as human sex toys who exist for her to dominate...
and inmate Kenny Wangler
Kenny Wangler
Kenny "Bricks" Wangler is a fictional character in the HBO drama Oz, played by actor J.D. Williams.-Character overview:Prisoner #97W566. Convicted July 6, 1997 - murder in the first degree . Sentence: 20 years, eligible for parole in six.He was sent to prison for murdering a student he was...
. Because of McManus' sexual habits of bed hopping and womanizing, Glynn does not know what to believe and warns McManus that if any of this is true, he will be fired. Later, as Glynn confronts McManus for the "shit storms" he has created, McManus rebuts that Glynn's judgment is clouded for racial reasons. McManus points out to Leo that he has automatically taken the side of any Black inmate or staff member when issues pertaining to him arise and Glynn is extremely angered by this. At the same time the racial tension is on the rise in Oz due to the boxing tournament and a manipulative secret plan of black inmate Simon Adebisi. The boxing tournament is put on hold when the Aryan and Muslim inmates fight but Ryan O'Reily and Hamid Khan
Hamid Khan
Hamid Khan, played by Ernie Hudson Jr., is a fictional character in the HBO series Oz.- Character overview :Prisoner #99K515. Convicted March 6, 1999 - Aggravated assault. Sentence: 10 years, eligible for parole in five....
convince Glynn to let the finals happen. The finals end in tragedy fueling to the emotional fire between the inmates and Glynn is forced to lock down the prison. As Glynn puts the prison in lock down, Hughes comes to him stating that they should be helping the black inmates out instead of punishing them. Glynn then states he feels no sense of brotherhood towards any of the black inmates in Oz and then fires Hughes. As Hughes is fired and the prison is in lock down, Clayton gives Adebisi a gun as a going away gift.
Season 4 Part I
Glynn ends the lock down telling the Black and White inmates separately that if one more racially motivated incident occurs, Oz will be permanently locked down. The Latinos in the mean time are not warned as they are somewhat neutral throughout the racial tension. Governor James DevlinGovernor James Devlin
Governor James Devlin is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Željko Ivanek.-Character overview:Devlin, the governor of the state, is hated by most of the inmates and some of the staff members at the Oswald State Correctional facilities as he proposes several anti-prisoner acts of...
's campaign manager then talks with Glynn telling Leo that he has been chosen as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
as their current Lieutenant Frank Feeley has throat cancer and will not be running for re-election. Glynn immediately asks if this is because Alvah Case, a fellow African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
has announced that he is running against Devlin. Devlin's campaign manager Wendy Schultz says it is a strong reason why Glynn has been chosen as there is a bad history between Devlin and the State's African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community. Racial issues aside, Schultz states that their office figures that someone as conservative and publicly known as Glynn would be a great candidate for Lieutenant Governor and Glynn then says yes suspiciously. In Oz, Glynn wants to stop the drug traffic as the Homeboys, Latinos, and Italians for the time being are allied so he gets a narcotics detective Johnny Basil to pose as a Jamaican drug dealer named Desmond Mobay. Glynn is the only one who knows Basil's true identity and informs him of the dangers associated with Oz as another undercover detective Paul Markstrom died many years earlier in Oz. Throughout the season Basil is somewhat convincing as Mobay to the point where he ends up snorting a lot of heroin and murdering an inmate to get in the good graces of all three gangster groups.
Adebisi then asks Glynn to move Black inmates Arnold "Poet" Jackson, Kenny Wangler
Kenny Wangler
Kenny "Bricks" Wangler is a fictional character in the HBO drama Oz, played by actor J.D. Williams.-Character overview:Prisoner #97W566. Convicted July 6, 1997 - murder in the first degree . Sentence: 20 years, eligible for parole in six.He was sent to prison for murdering a student he was...
, and Junior Pierce
Junior Pierce
Junior Pierce, played by Malé B. Alexander is a fictional character on the American HBO drama Oz.-Character overview:Pierce is an enforcer of the Homeboys, Oz's main African-American prison gang...
out of Unit B and into Em City as a means of ending some of the racial tension within Oz's walls. Tim McManus
Tim McManus
Tim McManus is a fictional character on HBO's prison drama Oz, played by Terry Kinney.-Character overview:McManus, the idealistic manager of Emerald City, is unlike the rest of the staff members at Oz as he has never been a CO, has a college education, and generally believes in the inmates as...
opposes this mainly because he hates Wangler for lying about a sexual harassment charge. Glynn is interested in eliminating racial issues within Oz and overrides McManus' objection. More racial issues arise however as those three inmates harass a new White inmate unfit for prison. Adebisi wanting revenge on Wangler gives a gun to this inmate Guillaume Tarrant
Guillaume Tarrant
Guillaume Tarrant was a fictional character on the HBO prison series Oz played by Lothaire Bluteau.- Character Overview :Prisoner #00T416. Convicted January 2, 2000 - Destruction of private property, concealment of a deadly weapon. Sentence: 10 years, eligible for parole in 3.Guillaume Tarrant was...
who then shoots Wangler, Pierce and a Black CO Joseph Howard amongst others. Glynn is now under intense pressure to fire Tim McManus and solve the gun smuggling quickly as a means of making the prison look well managed during the election campaign. Adebisi and Muslim inmate Zahir Arif
Zahir Arif
Zahir Arif aka Jerome Van Dyke is a fictional character on the HBO series Oz, played by Granville Adams.-Character overview:Arif is a former drug addict in prison apparently for possession of stolen goods. In prison, he undergoes a spiritual transformation into one of the most well-behaved and...
point out that McManus must go and a Black unit manager must be hired. Glynn does not yet give in as he still thinks McManus is competent and mentally sound enough to run Emerald City. McManus however is on a self-destructive path following recent relationship problems and sings De Camptown Races, a blackface minstrel song at the funeral of Joseph Howard, the Black CO who died in the shooting. As seen through earlier issues regarding race between McManus and Glynn, Leo draws the line with McManus here and immediately fires him as Unit Manager of Emerald City.
A problem arises when inmates Agamemnon Busmalis
Agamemnon Busmalis
Agamemnon "Aggie" Busmalis a.k.a. The Mole is a fictional character of the television series Oz, portrayed by Tom Mardirosian. He is also referenced in OZ: Behind These Walls: The Journal of Augustus Hill.-Character's backstory:...
and Miguel Alvarez escape Oz through a tunnel and Glynn asks Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez, the Latinos leader who despises Alvarez to help find him. El Cid orders a hit on Alvarez who is now on the run. Meanwhile, when investigating the gun smuggling, Glynn is told by El Cid that Adebisi got the gun from Clayton Hughes on Hughes' last day of work. Glynn furiously calls in Clayton who admits to smuggling the gun and he has Hughes arrested as a result told to shut up in the meantime. Since being fired, Hughes has become a Black Militant and is giving speeches that condemn Governor Devlin on a routine basis. Busmalis is then captured and the Republican party then is looking better in the preliminary polls. The Muslim inmates then convince African American community leaders to pressure Glynn into hiring a Black unit manager for Em City, and he begins to listen more and more as a means of becoming Lieutenant Governor with the Black vote. Glynn then hires Martin Querns
Martin Querns
Warden Martin Querns is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Reg E. Cathey.-Character overview:He is an African American prison unit manager who has a vast experience of handling various prison units. He is hired by Warden Leo Glynn after he is asked to find a competent black unit...
a Black man to run Em City appeasing the general public.
Martin Querns has experience working in several state detention centers and federal penitentiaries and is also from the ghetto like several of Oz's African American inmates. Querns is told he may run Em City any way he wishes as long as racial tension and violence are eliminated. Querns immediately reduces the violence by more than 92% and eliminates the racial tension element altogether. Although he has done this by empowering Simon Adebisi and his followers and sending most of the White inmates out of Em City, Glynn does not care as for the time being the Unit looks better managed. In the meantime Tim McManus undergoes psychiatric therapy and wants to run Em City again but the only available job in the Unit Manager position is Unit B which he reluctantly takes. During the campaign as order is maintained in Oz, Glynn stops paying attention to what changes are being made in Em City and is more focused on becoming the Lieutenant Governor. At a staff meeting, Tim McManus points out what has happened in Em City and Glynn turns a deaf ear as the violence has been almost eliminated from Em City. At a press conference shortly afterwards, Clayton Hughes goes psycho and tries to kill Governor Devlin. Devlin nearly dies, Hughes is charged with attempted murder, and Glynn drops out of the election race to stand by Clayton as he goes to trial.
Out of the election campaign, Glynn is brought more up to what has happened inside of Oz. Detective Johnny Basil turns himself in for the murder of Bruno Goergen
Bruno Goergen
Bruno Goergen is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Harry O'Reilly.-Character overview:Georgen is a corrupt,bullying bigoted police detective serving time for murdering an arms and weapons dealer. He is given a new identity upon entering Oz as he has turned State's evidence on a...
as his conscience kicks in and tell him to stop doing what he is to prove that he is not undercover. Two inmates then die, both residents of Em City and Glynn begins to get angered with Querns. McManus points out that Querns has empowered Adebisi and the Homeboys in Em City turning a blind eye to their behavior as long as order is maintained. He points out the lack of diversity as all the COs are now Black and White inmates are also scarce. Finally he points out drugs are out of control as stopping the drug traffic is not a priority of Querns. Glynn isn't convinced of this until McManus with the help of Kareem Saïd brings him a videotape of a party inside of Adebisi's pod. Glynn is disgusted by the acts involving drugs, alcohol, and sex that the Black inmates are committing unpunished. As a result, Querns is immediately fired and Leo realizes he hasn't paid enough attention to what has happened in Oz. He reinstates McManus as unit manager of Em City, and Adebisi then dies making a murder attempt on Kareem Saïd.
Season 4 Part II
This half of the season starts out with the investigation of a news crew coming into Oz. Glynn is afraid that several dead issues will be resurrected through the media and is fearful that Oz may be shut down altogether. To make matters worse several inmates suggest what has happened during Adebisi's reign of power in Em City. Martin Querns then comes to Glynn asking him to destroy any evidence relating to the rampant drug use that occurred in Em City as a means of saving both of them from facing criminal charges. This news crew led by Jack Eldridge eventually agrees with Glynn that the story should not be aired and this is completed by a beating at the hands of inmate Cyril O'ReilyCyril O'Reily
Cyril O'Reily is a fictional character, played by American actor Scott William Winters, on the HBO drama Oz. He is also mentioned in the companion book , p. 58.-Character overview:...
. Even though the staff is glad that O'Reily scarred off the news crew, Cyril's behavior grows worse over the season and Glynn is urged by McManus to send him to a mental institute. Amongst the O'Reily's, Cyril's brother Ryan is accused by Muslim inmate Zahir Arif of murdering Patrick Keenan
Patrick Keenan
Patrick Keenan is a fictional character at HBO drama Oz played by Dylan Chalfy.-Character Overview:Prisoner 00K414. Convicted March 25, 2000 for assault in first degree and rape. Sentence of 12 years, up for parole in seven....
, an investigation that angers Glynn and frustrates Ryan. There is not enough evidence at the time however and Glynn must let O'Reily go free.
A number of new developments occur throughout this season however for Glynn. Oz is temporarily asked to house some illegal refugees from China who get caught up in a war between the Homeboys, Italians, and Latinos. This war escalates throughout the season to the point that inmates Supreme Allah
Supreme Allah
Supreme Allah is a fictional character of the HBO drama Oz. He is portrayed by Lord Jamar of hip hop group Brand Nubian.-Character overview:Prisoner #00K251. Convicted March 22, 2000 - Second degree murder...
and Enrique Morales
Enrique Morales
Enrique Morales is a fictional character played by NYPD officer turned actor David Zayas on the HBO drama Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #00M871. Convicted April 6, 2000 - Murder in the second degree. Sentence: 25 years, up for parole in 15....
are targeted to die by the Homeboy's new leader Burr Redding
Burr Redding
Burr Redding is one of Oz's oldest inmates.-Character overview:Prisoner #01R289. Convicted January 11, 2001 - Murder in the first degree, seven counts of attempted murder...
. Supreme is attacked in the visiting room at one point and later dies in the cafeteria all on acts devised by the Homeboys. Morales lives though and with the help of Chucky Pancamo the Italian's leader, makes numerous attempts on Redding throughout the season. Miguel Alvarez is recaptured near the Mexican border and comes back to Oz. Alvarez then makes a deal with Glynn to remain out of solitary. He agrees to be Glynn's informant in Em City if allowed to stay there. This is short lived however as Alvarez cannot get back into El Norte and find any useful information. Amongst the Black inmates, the Muslims now have a war with the Aryans and Bikers that gets ugly throughout the season. Brotherhood initiate Carl Jenkins
Carl Jenkins (Oz)
Carl Jenkins, played by Joshua Harto, is an inmate on the HBO drama Oz.-Season 4 Part II:A young white inmate, he is told that he will be let into the Aryan Brotherhood by his current protector James Robson if he kills Muslim inmate Kareem Said. Robson also tells him that if he fails, the Aryans...
makes an attempt on the life of Kareem Saïd but instead kills the newly converted Leroy Tidd
Leroy Tidd
Leroy Tidd is a fictional character on the series Oz, an African American inmate played by Jacques Smith.-Character overview:Prisoner #00T255. Convicted May 10, 2000 - Armed robbery, reckless endangerment. Sentence: 20 years, eligible for parole in 12.Imprisoned for armed robbery and running over a...
. This murder angers Saïd who wants Aryan inmate James Robson to suffer for setting up the murder. When Glynn tells Saïd there is not enough evidence to convict Robson of killing Tidd, Saïd violently attacks Robson and Schillinger to the point where the entire prison is threatened with a lock down until a truce is called. The truce is short lived however when the Aryans threaten the parole of white inmate Tobias Beecher. Saïd stabs Schillinger and Robson and Glynn has the DA charge him with attempted murder.
During the season, Glynn hires a new secretary and hosts the regional Warden's conference. At home, his wife requests a divorce which puts Leo into disarray. It can be assumed that his wife is divorcing him because he exploited several details of their family issues while running for Lieutenant Governor. Martin Querns has been hired by the commissioner to be Warden at Lardner, the other main prison in the state and shows up at the conference. At the conference, Querns tells Glynn that Clayton Hughes who is serving his sentence at Lardner is doing horribly and will most likely die within the year. Glynn wants Hughes to serve his sentence protected and begs for him to be transferred to Oz. In Oz, Hughes serves time in Unit J, one of the safest units in the prison as it is the Unit for convicted police officers. In that unit, Hughes serves time with Alvin Yood
Alvin Yood
Alvin Yood is a character at HBO drama Oz played by Tom Ligon.-Character Overview:Prisoner 01Y218. Convicted January 20, 2001 for aggravated assault of a minor. Sentence of 12 years, up for parole in seven....
a small town sheriff imprisoned for assault and Detective Johnny Basil who is no longer under the alias of Desmond Mobay. Hughes is problem for both of them and kills Basil. This forces Glynn to transfer him to solitary which he manages to take over. In solitary Hughes goes psycho capturing and threatening to rape CO Travis Smith
Travis Smith (Oz)
Travis Smith is one of the correctional officers on the HBO drama Oz, played by Jerome Preston Bates.Smith first appears as the Head CO of Emerald City under the management of Martin Querns. Querns and Smith both work together with inmate Simon Adebisi to build a virtually all-Black correctional...
. As the SORT team attempts to recapture Hughes, Glynn goes in first to try to reason with him as a means of preventing Hughes from doing anything crazy. Clayton then tries to kill Glynn who is saved by inmate Greg Penders
Greg Penders
-Character Overview:Prisoner 97P528. Convicted May 7, 1997. Criminally negligent homicide. Sentence: 17 years, up for parole in nine.Greg Penders is in Oz for accidentally shooting a man he was initially going to threaten. Mostly harmless, Penders is an inmate who's always trying to take advantage...
. The death of both Hughes and Basil, two of the only two inmates whom he had any considerable care for the well being of and the divorce from his wife puts Glynn into a bad state. Glynn is then seen drunk in his office distraught over the bad things that have happened and then considers resigning as Warden of Oz.
In this half of the season a baptist reverend named Jeremiah Cloutier
Jeremiah Cloutier
Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier is a fictional character on the HBO prison drama Oz, portrayed by Luke Perry.-Character overview:Prisoner #00C966. Convicted December 27, 2000 - Embezzlement and petty larceny. Sentence: nine years, up for parole in five....
comes to Oz for embezzlement. Cloutier is really a good person who is in Oz for stealing money, so Glynn privileges him more than the other prisoners. As a result Cloutier has a positive impact on several of Oz's inmates but is threatened by Catholic convert Timmy Kirk
Timmy Kirk
Timothy "Timmy" Kirk is a fictional character from the HBO prison drama Oz played by Sean Dugan.-Character history:Prisoner #96K423. Convicted April 16, 1996 - Manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child. Sentence: 12 years, up for parole in seven...
who is out to cause trouble. Kirk uses his conversion as an excuse to bully several Catholic inmates and then with the help of the Bikers gets Reverend Cloutier trapped into a wall that is being constructed. This gets worse when O'Reilly accidental leaves the gas stove turned on which is then ignited by a CO lighting a cigarette. The resulting explosion destroys the cafeteria leaving Cloutier with third degree burns across his body. The kitchen and Em City are both destroyed and Glynn must send all the inmates to Gen Pop.
Season 5
The kitchen and Emerald City are both rebuilt and in the rebuilding it is discovered that Reverend Cloutier has been engulfed in the explosion and is barely alive covered in third degree burns over the majority of his body. Also, the death of Patrick Keenan gets complicated as Ryan O'Reily pays and plays off two inmates against each other to state different stories. In reopening Emerald City, the prisoners in solitary are transferred in as repairs to the air ducts must be made. Glynn states to these prisoners that if they behave they do not have to return to solitary. A new liaison to the governor's office Eleanor O'Connor is hired to work at Oz. O'Connor coincidentally is the ex-wife of Tim McManus. Upon the reopening of Em City, visits are allowed for the first time in months but this ends in tragedy as the bus transporting the visitors crashes near the entry gate. As Em City is reopened, the staff warns the Muslim and Aryan inmates to temporarily call a truce so that no blood is shed. Issues develop though when James Robson kills a young Muslim inmate Ahmad LalarAhmad Lalar
Ahmad Lalar is a Muslim inmate on the HBO drama Oz played by Chris Gardner.-Character overview:A young convert, he is seen as one of their weaker members and eventually targeted for execution by Aryan Brotherhood member James Robson.-Season 5:...
undetected. This war is stopped for the most part as Sister Pete has Kareem Saïd, Tobias Beecher, and Vernon Schillinger involved in various interaction sessions.
Glynn also sees that Peter Schibetta has finally been released from the psychiatric unit recovering from the raping received three years earlier by Simon Adebisi. Schibetta is not out for long though as he is raped for a second time as the Italians and Aryan Brotherhood go to war over the death of Hank Schillinger, Vern's son. When Sister Pete wants to help bring Schibetta's rapists to justice, she discovers how much Glynn really hates Schibetta as he states that "Here in Oz, rape has a leveling effect." This war causes a crippling blow to all of the Italians' current leaders causing a request to Glynn from Burr Redding to control the cafeteria. Glynn does not want the Homeboys to manage the cafeteria mainly because of the disastrous way it was run under the management of Simon Adebisi. Redding convinces Glynn though that the Italians are currently unfit to manage the place and the Black inmates who are the majority of the staff are more likely to do a good job under his leadership so he is given control.
Glynn also deals with the issues pertaining to Reverend Cloutier this season. As he was badly burned in the gas explosion, the only inmate they can for the time being implicate is Jaz Hoyt
Jaz Hoyt
Jaz Hoyt is a fictional character played by Evan Seinfeld on the television program Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #98H432. Convicted August 12, 1998 - aggravated assault in the first degree. Sentence: Eight years, eligible for parole in four. Later, confessed to four counts of murder in the first...
as he was the head of the repair crew that trapped Cloutier. Things get complicated between Cloutier's flock, The Bikers, and inmate Timmy Kirk and Hoyt then after seeing a supposed vision confesses to a series of murders inside of Oz and ends up on death row. Kirk in the mean time is trying to cause trouble for Father Ray Mukada and hires inmate Clarence Seroy
Clarence Seroy
Clarence Seroy is a fictional character played by Emmanuel Yarborough on the HBO drama Oz.Prisoner #02S243. Convicted March 24, 2002 - 40 counts of arson in the first degree...
to set up a burning of the rectory in which Mukada resides. Glynn is angered by this and with help from the Bikers, gets Kirk moved to death row. Reverend Cloutier's body ends up missing though and leaves the staff baffled.
Glynn later sees that McManus is engaging two new programs for the inmates to help rehabilitate themselves. He is starting a singing program with the help of Ryan O'Reily's mother and a guide dog program from a woman named Alicia Hinden. Both programs have positive results especially for inmates Omar White
Omar White
Omar White is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz played by Michael Wright.-Character overview:Prisoner 01W711. Convicted January 4, 2001 - Murder in the first degree...
and Miguel Alvarez, two inmates the staff have almost no hope or belief in. Alvarez is on an upward trend coming into his parole hearing which Tim McManus supports. Glynn ardently refuses to acknowledge Alvarez's attempts at rehabilitation and tells the parole board to do everything in their power not to let him go. The board is successful as Alvarez gets agitated and strikes Luis Ruiz, the only Latino on the board during the hearing. Glynn shortly afterwards gets evidence from Tobias Beecher implicating Vernon Schillinger in the raping of inmates Franklin Winthrop and Adam Guenzel. As a result, Glynn sentences Vern to solitary for an undecided length of time.
Season 6
The final season of Oz begins for Glynn with the bi-annual solitary review. In this review, it is decided whether or not to release the solitary inmates back into the general population. Miguel Alvarez, Greg Penders, Vern Schillinger, Omar White, Carlos Martinez, and Henry StantonHenry Stanton (Oz)
Henry Stanton is a character at HBO drama Oz played by Thomas G. Waites.-Character Overview:Prisoner 99S131, Henry Stanton.Stanton was one of the many characters who was manipulated by Irish inmate Ryan O'Reily.-Season 4, part I:...
are up for review and voted on by Glynn and the staff. Being that Glynn cares about his officers, he refuses to let Martinez and Penders out of solitary as the two of them are in for attacking COs. Omar White then remains in solitary as well. Stanton and Schillinger are released along with Miguel Alvarez whom Tim McManus insisted upon releasing into Emerald City. Glynn then sees that an associate of his, Mayor Wilson Loewen
Wilson Loewen
Wilson Loewen is a fictional character at HBO's drama Oz played by Tom Atkins.-Character Overview:Mayor Wilson Loewen was a politician who helped Governor James Devlin get elected. He was arrested after the police discovered he was involved with two murders of Black-Americans girls in 1963 during...
is on trial for assisting the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
in a racially motivated killing of two African American girls in 1963. This trial causes a race riot in the city's African American neighborhoods and a lockdown of Oz whose Black inmates are angered at the mere presence of the trial. As the SORT team locks the prison down, they discover the dead body of Tobias Beecher's father who died at the hands of Franklin Winthrop.
The trial of Wilson Loewen ends with him being found guilty of murder in the second degree. Loewen is a key politician that helped Governor Devlin get elected so Devlin is very insistent on how Loewen will be carefully handled when he gets sent to prison. Devlin has Loewen sent to Oz to placate and appease the African American mob that has formed. Devlin has an unannounced intention of pardoning him as the racial tension outside of Oz cools down. In Oz, Devlin insists that he be placed in the safest unit which happens to be Unit J, the bad police unit which currently has no African American inmates. As Glynn sees Loewen arriving to prison, Loewen tells him that he is innocent but Glynn does not care as the courts have found him guilty. Loewen then pleas that as a Black man, Glynn should realize that the court's decisions aren't always correct. Loewen is in Oz safely until he blackmails Governor Devlin for a pardon. Devlin then uses his African American assistant Perry Loftus
Perry Loftus
Perry Loftus is a fictional character at HBO drama Oz played by Christopher Neal Jackson.-Character Overview:An intelligent African American young man, Perry Loftus studied with Oz's CO Adrian Johnson. After getting out of the University, Loftus became Governor James Devlin's assistant.-Season...
to secretly cause the death of Loewen and then handpicks police detectives to help keep their hands clean from the murder. However, Glynn, Tim McManus, Eleanor O'Connor and Detective McGorry figure out that it is Loftus and CO Adrian Johnson
Adrian Johnson
Adrian Johnson, played by Cyrus Farmer, is one of the African American corrections officer on the HBO drama Oz.-Character overview:He first appears as one of the several African American corrections officers to work in Emerald City under the management of Martin Querns...
who are responsible for the deaths of Loewen and other inmates who know about the murder. Shortly afterwards, O'Connor and Glynn have an affair which shocks McManus. As suspicions grow, Johnson has inmate Lionel Kelsch murder Glynn the night of the lifetime achievement award ceremony. Glynn's murder causes Tim McManus to put together every possible piece of evidence to convict Devlin of the whole conspiracy that took place. In the meantime, Martin Querns is named as his replacement as warden.