it sounds like the warden and mail room clerk have it out for your special pp? If they have an eye on him already they may be looking for anything to make his life worse. If you say anything I would word it carefully and make a copy of the exact letter that you send him, in case anything comes of it. If your letters are long you could hand write it and put the meat of what you want to say somewhere in the middle where it is less likely to be read by the mail clerk.

Thanks for your advice shybunny. I was thinking the same thing! That it would be best to include those comments somewhere in the middle or closer to the end of the letter, and I will DEFINITELY word it carefully. I want to get my point across, but I have to be careful not to give them a reason to hassle us. I think keeping a copy of the letter is also a good idea. Do you know what steps someone could take, if the warden DID attempt to prevent you from speaking to your pal, simply because he had a grudge against him (or you for that matter)? Have any of you out here ever had that problem? Thanks.

Lisa

In a recent post I spoke of how upset I was over how my special pal was portrayed in an episode of the sensationalistic, tabloidesque show "LockUp". Well, I am working on a letter to him, and would like to speak candidly about my impressions of both the inmates and staff, prison policies etceteras. My question is, could that get me into trouble? Not with him, I mean with the mailroom clerk or the warden? My special pal and the warden are not on good terms, and I feel that his assesment of his character and personality are right on! He most definitely struck me as the type of person who ENJOYS lording over people, and treats the inmates as inferiors. I also took issue with a STUPID VERY UNPROFESSIONAL comment the mail room clerk(who obviously has a grandiose sense of self importance) made specifically about him, AND of course I felt violently ILL as I listened to the warden recount how he carried out the exections, as though he were talking about what he'd eaten for breakfast that morning! In my opinion, the staff that was interviewed were more out of touch with their feelings than some of the inmates! The question is, can I talk openly about these things? I will NOT use course language, and will of course encourage him to follow the rules, even though we may not agree with them or think them to be unfair.

I think if he ever wants to regain his freedom one day, he is going to have to learn to do that. I want to tell him that there are ways of bringing about positive social change without resorting to violence, and that we will be active in attempting to do so once he is freed. But for the time being, we will have to abide by what we both consider to be assanine and unfair rules.

He told me that the mail room clerk doesn't read all the mail, and couldn't possibly read every letter even if she wanted to! And my letters are often quite lengthy so I sincerely doubt that she takes the time to read e'm! LOL And even if she did read it, don't I have the right to express my opinion, as long as I am not encouraging him to break the rules? I am concerned because I don't want to cause trouble for him, nor do I want risk being prohibited from writing to him. If she did deem it "inappropriate" she would more than likely just return it right?

I have spoken in negative terms about prison policies and the warden before, and have been very vocal about my opposition to the death penalty and my contempt for the individuals who carry it out. It has never been a problem in the past. Just wanted to check though, just to be on the safe side! He wants to know what I think, and I want to be honest and straightforward with him. Thanks.

Lisa