The only correspondence we may have with inmates in our own prison is business related.  During this pandemic the rules loosened somewhat so we could send them letters of encouragement.  The problem was the mail was one way communication.  We are not supposed to give inmates our home addresses so we used the prison for out return address and they couldn’t write back to us.

I have been in correspondence for years with a number of inmates from other States.  One of our inmates sends letters to some of the Native newspapers at times or something gets published with my name as the contact person, as you learned, so I sometimes get letters from inmates at other prisons.  Usually they are the only Lakota in their prison and want information.  Sometimes they want to know what the SD DOC policies are for cultural/religious practices.  I send them the public DOC policy guideline.

Inmates in nearly all prisons now have tablets on which they can write and/or receive emails.  The prisons actually prefer they use them rather than pen and paper letters because they have computer software that searches for coded gang stuff, etc.  Also there isn’t a chance of someone sending in drugs in an email.  In Pennsylvania, all letters to inmates must be sent to a company in Florida which then copies the letter and gives the copy to the inmate.  They want to guard against paper being soaked in a drug.

Inmates may also make phone calls, which are recorded and monitored.  I have put money in a phone account for the inmate who recently transferred to ND so he can call me.  I’ve known him over 20 years and he was the leader of the Native group at Jameson and also one of the Alternative to Violence inside team members.  To be on his phone list, I had to complete a form which I presume was security checked by his new prison.  To be on his email list, I also had to fill out a form for JPay, the company that has the contract for ND.  GTL has the contract for SD.  I always keep in mind that whatever I communicate will be read or heard and he does the same.

The rules are different in every State regarding mail.  In SD, you can only write with blue or black ink on white or yellow paper or type or print your letter on white or yellow paper.  You must show your return address on the envelope including your name.  You may not enclose drawings from children, stamps, or send greeting cards.  It is hard for me to believe, but some mothers have infused the crayon drawings from their children with drugs to try to get them into the prison.  The rules for communicating with inmates are on the DOC page for each State.  Some States also allow ZOOM visits.

Mary Montoya