Perhaps They’re Hoping to Post Bail?
News item: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a prisoner’s right to receive direct mail solicitations and catalogs. The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed against Washington state’s Department of Corrections. The DOC had claimed that such solicitations contributed to unruliness among prisoners and presented a fire hazard.
June 3, 2005
To: Charles Wilkes, Secretary, Department of Corrections, Washington state
From: Marcus Whitman, Warden, Clallam Bay Corrections Center, Washington state
Memo #1
All right, if the bleeding hearts want to believe that receiving the Potpourri Dreams and Smashing Swatches catalogs has a rehabilitative element, let them. I’m not going to fight it.
I’ll get a couple of trustees to sort the stuff as it comes in.
No big deal.
June 10, 2005
To: Charles Wilkes, Secretary, Department of Corrections, Washington state
From: Marcus Whitman, Warden, Clallam Bay Corrections Center, Washington state
Memo #2
I know I’ve agreed to go along with the direct mail directive, but this whole program mystifies me. What, exactly, are these people going to buy, and with what money? The average job here pays 15 cents an hour into their commissary account.
I’m not going to tolerate a cellblock full of people cutting back on toiletries so they can make the latest installment payment on their encyclopedia sets. August is right around the corner, and the state just turned down our requisition for air conditioning. If you think I’m going to let prisoners skimp on buying soap, you’ve got another think coming.
June 27, 2005
To: Charles Wilkes, Secretary, Department of Corrections, Washington state
From: Marcus Whitman, Warden, Clallam Bay Corrections Center, Washington state
Memo #3
Either revise this stupid policy or send more guards.
Yesterday I had an officer injured when a fight erupted during exercise time between two gangs. Turns out the Young Lords and the Shamrocks each claimed dibs on any catalog addressed to
