I am writing this letter on behalf of the thousands of men and women who are currently incarcerated within the PA DOC. The advertisement I read said the purpose of your website was to re-evaluate the direction of the PA DOC. I would say it is pretty obvious that it is all about warehousing inmates. If it weren’t then they would be doing something more to release those who have completed the recommended programs and who have remained free of misconduct. Currently, the DOC rarely gives their support for parole. That is because the actions of a few parolees who were released and then committed very hanous acts (such as killing police officers). Governor Rendell oversteps his bounds and puts a hold on people being paroled. Now everyone is being forced to pay the price.
It is not longer only affecting the state system; it has now hit the county system. Because the state system is so overcrowded and cannot accept more than a few commitments at a time, the county jails are being forced to hold state inmates longer, which is leading to such overcrowding that the counties are having to send their inmates to other counties and also out of state to serve their time. It is not solely the DOC’s fault though. The state parole system is largely to blame as well. There are currently thousands of inmates in state prisons who were re-incarcerated due to non-violent parole violations.
The vast majority of parole violators are here because of drug use, including the possession of small amounts of drugs (for personal use) or DUIs. For the people who do not have an extensive list of these charges from the past, it would benefit the individual and the tax paying community far more if the parole system were to enact rules that would require these people to enroll in inpatient treatment for their first offense. Not to mention how greatly it would benefit loved ones and dependents of the parolee. It costs less for 90 days of inpatient treatment than it does to house these inmates in prison for the lengths of time they are being housed currently.
The point is that the parole system has plenty of ways to address these kinds of issues rather than automatically sending these people back to prison. Those who do receive inpatient treatment and continue to use drugs and alcohol should be returned to prison for a set amount of time. Currently, even after the parole department stipulates an amount of “back time” for a parole violator, they continuously deny reparole at a high rate. If they set an amount of back time, state required programming and conduct behavior, they should let these people out at their next review. This is not happening. That alone would ease the overcrowding in both the state and county systems and require a smaller budget for the DOC.
Why is it that no one is willing to contact the local newspapers and television news stations to get this information out to the public? It seems to me that adversary and reform groups are far more interested in arguing between themselves about what needs to be addressed first rather than standing together and addressing these issues. People need to realize that there are far more inmates that are not “lifers” and are doing significant amounts of time and I would rather see something other than lifers problems being addressed. In January, Jeffery A. Beard stated before a Justice Committee that we fully understand that simply warehousing inmates will do nothing to ease the violence in the future. Yet that is pretty much all that is being done and those who are completing recommended the programs are being accused of playing the system. How do you play the system when the people making the decision of whether or not to parole a person never speaks with you for even 5 minutes? Sounds to me like the inmates are the ones that are actually being played to think that they have a chance of being paroled. Other states have much higher parole rates and they pretty much automatically parole the inmate as long as they stay out of trouble and complete their programs. I can only hope something I have said will do some good in helping people to understand the true problems that exist within our so called Corrections System.
Thank you,
Burdette “BUD” Guy Thomas III #GD0191
SCI-Forest, Marienville, PA.
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Wed, 09/09/2009 - 07:27
Thank you for writing to a prisoner. You must be a very special person. Very few people would be willing to share their time with these men and women who have become the castaways of our society. The fact remains - they are human beings. Loneliness is one of the greatest challenges they face each day. Mail call may be the lowest point of their day, yet communication is essential in the rehabilitation process. Studies have shown that those inmates who have folks on the outside taking an interest in them have a much lower recidivism rate then those who do not. So, thank you for this selfless act which is more than the price of a stamp. It is an act of faith - faith that you can reach out and make a positive difference in another person's life. We hope these helpful hints will enhance this letter writing experience for you. testking 70-646 Unless the prisoners specifically state otherwise, letters from members of the same sex are welcomed. Most are just looking for friendship and to communicate with positive individuals outside prison walls. . Write a little background about yourself - your interests and hobbies, what you like to do in your spare time, your studies, work, pets, your favorite movies, what bands you like, what books, what religion or philosophies interest you, etc. Avoid sharing too much personal information.
Be upfront about your ability to write on a regular basis. If you are only able to write once a month, let that person know so that he or she doesn't look for your letter and feel that you are not interested.
If you are not looking for a romantic relationship, let them know upfront. testking 70-236 Don't play headgames. If you do not want any kind of sexual references or suggestive writings from the inmate, make it perfectly clear in the beginning. Getting to know an inmate and them to know you takes time and a bit of patience. It's best to begin with a basic friendship and build relationships from that point. Respond to something they have written in their ads, such as a love for the outdoors or some other area of interest. Ask questions. Show you're interested in the person and not in the situation, the fact that he or she is in jail.
Do NOT include gifts IN your letter. If you want to make your letters more interesting, we offer some Greeting cards can be a good way to make initial contact. There are so many friendship-type cards available just to say "hello" to the prisoner. This can take the pressure off of you worrying about what to write that first time. Prisoners are happy to get your letter(s) and are looking for words of encouragement. testking 642-436
2. Remember to put your return address on the upper left hand corner of the envelope (be sure it is legible) and include it again in the body of the letter in case something happens to the envelope. The prison won't accept letters without return addresses. If you don't want the prisoner to know your home address, get a P.O. Box.
3. You might want to include a photograph of yourself so the prisoner has a "face" to put with the name. Many prisoners are forthright in stating they are looking for relationships, but others are simply looking for a friend with whom they can correspond. A photo would be a nice gesture of friendship. If you are going to send a photo, make sure and write the prisoner's full name and DOC number on the back of it. Otherwise it will be rejected and sent back to you, at the inmate's expense.
Mon, 11/30/2009 - 23:53
With ateriu! Merry Christmas! )))