EF! Prisoner Support

“At the dawn of industrialism, factories were modeled after prisons; in its twilight, prisons are now modeled after factories.” —Os Cangaceiros

Supporting prisoners from our struggle is one important facet of the Earth First! movement.

Eco-prisoner List
Post-release Support
Political Prisoners of Allied Struggles
Prisoner Support Resources
Grand Jury Resistance

The Earth First! Journal provides over 100 free subscriptions to political and politicized prisoners around the country.  We must rely on people outside prison to cover the cost for them.  Please sponsor a prisoner subscription.

Suggestions for Supporting Prisoners

Prisoner support is integral to radical movements because resistance breeds repression.  We know that any successful movement that is making real gains will be met with repression and people will face jail time as a result of their contribution to a better world.  Not only do people within the movement have an imperative to support people facing incarceration as a result for their beliefs and/or actions, but people who accept support from the movement while they are incarcerated have an imperative to respect individuals within and the movement as a whole by not cooperating or testifying against co-defendants.  Police and federal agents will at least threaten to treat you worse if you do not cooperate.  Prepare for this by knowing one’s rights and common tactics of the police to break solidarity within the movement.  Keeping people feeling strong and connected will greatly help them to stand up for themselves, their rights and their ideologies, staying silent in the face of courts, interrogators and grand juries.

 

The following information provides suggestions for building a culture of support around captives from the movement.  Prisoner support is not only a tool necessary to the success and survival of our movement; it is also the antithesis of the oppression and exploitation that we seek to abolish. This understanding of our work as strengthening a movement for liberation differentiates us from the myriad reform and charity based groups.

Of course, the way a person is supported should be dictated by them and appropriate to the situation they are in.  Another important guideline is to be honest about your capacity and reliable in what you have committed to doing.  Most prisoners will understand if things come up that are keeping you busy or preventing you from being on top of their support but it is important that you let them know if this is the case.  Much of the rules and regulations the prisoner will be subject to will depend on whether they are in a state facility or a federal facility.  You can always look up the exact guidelines of the specific facility, but the following will refer to common practices.

Correspondence

Communication with people on the outside is often very important for people both to process what they are going through and maintain healthy ties and connections to people on the outside.  The main types of correspondence with prisoners is mail, phone calls and email.

Mail

Mail is generally the least expensive and therefore most accessible method of communication with people on the outside, and getting a letter at mail call is often the highpoint of the day for prisoners.

Writing for the first time to a stranger can seem awkward.  Even (or sometimes especially) if they don’t know you they will typically be interested in any news or information about your life.  A card with some well wishes, a bit about who you are and asking what you can do to help is often enough.  You can tell them honestly if you anticipate that you will have the time to write regularly.  With mail delays, writing consistently to a prisoner could entail about 1-2 letters per month.  Some people when they write to prisoners, are afraid to talk about their lives, what they are up to, thinking this may depress people banged up, especially prisoners with long sentences, or that they are not interested in your life. However, any news, whether it’s about people they know or not, is generally welcome. Especially if you didn’t know them before they went to prison, they want to know about you, what your life is like, etc. For people imprisoned from our movements and struggles it’s vital to keep them involved in the ongoing resistance – telling them about actions, sending them magazines if they want them, discussing ideas and strategies with them. Some people will just want to keep their head down and not engage in politics until they get out.  Feel free to ask if there are any particular subject they’d like to talk about.

Don’t expect prisoners to write back every time. Sometimes, the number of letters they can receive/write is restricted, or they just might not have the stamps or time to write back at that point in time. If funds are the issue, you can either add money to the prisoner’s commissary account (see information below), or some facilities will allow you to send in pre-stamped envelopes from the post office.  Call the facility to verify before sending.

You should put a return address on the envelope (as well as the letter in case the envelope is not given to the prisoner), not just so the prisoner can reply, but also because some prisons don’t allow letters without a return address. Of course it doesn’t have to be your address, and it is worth noting that, as illustrated by the case of Leslie James Pickering, authorities may be monitoring the mail of people on the outside as well as letters that go into prisons.  Many federal facilities are now using a Corrlinks mailing label system.  Some prisoners have a quote of people they can correspond with, while other can add as many people as they want to their correspondence list.  If you receive a letter back that has an address label with your information on it rather than being handwritten, that facility is using Corrlinks.

All letters are opened and looked through, and some letters get copied, delayed or stopped.  Don’t write stuff that could endanger anyone, or any information that you  – this doesn’t mean you should be over paranoid.  Numbering the pages may ensure that all of the pages make it to the prisoner (or at least they will know if one is missing).  Most prisoners can receive photocopied or printed articles.  Sometimes the facility has a page limit so check the mail regulations before sending a lengthy article.

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Email and Quick Letters

The email system used by the federal prison system is called Corrlinks.  Inmates must pay $0.15 per minute for use of this system, and are permitted to print messages at a cost of $0.15 per page. (In many U.S. federal prisons inmates wages start at 12 cents per hour.) Sending a message to someone can cost up to $0.30.This service is also available in some state prisons.  The system does not allow inmates access to the internet, and all incoming and outgoing messages are monitored. Emails are limited to 13,000 characters, and no attachments are allowed.  It is for this reason that many prisoners reserve email communication only for short messages that they would like to transmit faster than a letter.  There are also some commercial services such as Jpay that may be used to send ‘quick letters’ or messages that will arrive within a few days rather than up to a week via regular mail.

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Photographs, Reading Material and Food Packages

In addition to letters and printed or photocopied articles, many prisoners can receive photographs (not Polaroids), magazine subscriptions, as well as books sent directly from distributors or publishers.  For example, you can order books from online sources and have them shipped directly to the prisoner.  Some radical publishers, such as 4 Struggle Mag, the Earth First! Journal and PM Press, will offer free or discounted items to prisoners.  Some state prisons allow food packages to be sent into the prisoner either monthly or a few times per year.  These packages can be an important way to supplement the prison diet.

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Phone Calls

Phone calls from prison may also be costly, but another way that prisoners might want to be in contact with you for quick and timely messages.  In order to receive phone calls from the prisoner you must send them your phone number so that they can add you to their approved contact list.  Keep in mind that prisoners have restricted phone access and pay typically $.25-1 per minute for phone time so check in about how brief they need the call to be and/or make sure they have enough phone call money.

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Commissary and Monetary Support

Prison is a business based on slave labor.  Prisoners typically get paid from 12 cents to a maximum of $1.15 per hour for their work, but must pay for toiletries, food or vitamins to supplement the inadequate prison diet, and recreational items in addition to whatever costs they have from the legal process such as bail, legal fees, travel expenses, and court costs.  Ask people you are supporting if there is a typical monthly or 1-time donation amount they could use and try to find a way to fulfill that request.

Funds may be sent to a prisoner via money order sent to the BOP (not directly to the prisoner).  Directions on how to do this as well as faster (yet more costly) payment methods are listed on the BOP website.  Check with the prisoner before you send funds because those who have been ordered to pay restitution will have funds confiscated if sent to the BOP so it must go through their support group.

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Preparing for Visitation

It should go without saying that visits can have a lasting positive impact on prisoners.  It allows for a depth of communication that is often not possible through monitored or recorded correspondence.  Some metropolitan areas such as New York City have bus services that go to the prisons in the area for a low fee.  Be sure that the inmate knows you are coming, and be sure you have completed all necessary paperwork to be on the approved visitor’s list. Often the prisoner will have to mail you the form for their facility and let you know when it is approved.  For federal prisoners, you will have to state on the form how you met or are connected to them prior to their incarceration as well as if you are visiting any other federal prisoners.

Most federal prisons also have a point system which limits how many visits a prisoner can have per month.  Make sure to clear the date you would like to come with the prisoner so that they can  make sure they will have enough points to accommodate and that it will not conflict with another visit they have planned.  Especially for a first-time visit, plan on two days rather than just one.

Read the visitor information for the facility for regulations and what time you should arrive.  Aim to arrive slightly early instead of slightly late.  Even if you arrive early, there are often events that slow things down.  Pay particular attention to the dress code in the visitor’s guide and bring an extra change of clothes in case something you are wearing ends up not being allowed.

On Visiting Day

Call the prison one hour before you leave to verify that visitation has not been canceled for any reason.  If there are things you know you want to discuss, make a mental list because you will not be allowed to have pen or paper in the visiting room. There is usually a change machine before you enter the visiting room, since all food and beverages must be purchased from vending machines.  Most facilities will allow you to bring about $20 in coins into the visiting room in a clear plastic pouch or ziplock bag (the only other items you can bring into the facility are typically your state-issued ID and your car key, but there are lockers in case you need to store items during the visit).  If you are taking an infant and need diapers and bottles, check ahead to see how this is handled at the prison.

Most visiting rooms have photo opportunities for a fee charged to the prisoner.  Prisoners often like to have a photo or two from the visit, so try to make sure there are funds available for this.  Avoid altercations with other visitors, guards and prisoners. This could have an adverse impact on the person you are visiting; you may be asked to leave, or you may be banned from visiting again.

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Health and Legal Issues

Medical care in prison is typically (and strategically) substandard.  If a prisoner you are supporting is having difficulty accessing a proper diet, medical attention, or medications a call or fax campaign to the assistant warden may be necessary as they typically manage the medical services.  Prisoners can also fill out a form to grant someone on the outside access to their medical records.  That way, a second opinion from a physician or health care practitioner can be solicited.

Occasionally someone will be punished for the support they are receiving.  Especially in cases like this, it is a good idea for support people to maintain good relationships with lawyer(s) or whichever lawyer is working on the prisoners case.  They can help file motion to prevent retaliatory transfers, segregation and other punishments.

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Post-release Support

It is also important to recognize that support should not end the day someone is released.  Especially if convicted of a felony, people may have issues securing housing and/or employment.  There may also be additional needs around accessing affordable healthcare that they were denied access to while in prison.  It is a good idea to plan to give people a supply of funds upon their release to help them transition.  This amount could be a few thousand dollars or roughly a few hundred for every year they were in prison.

 

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